Today marks exactly 16 years since South Africa kicked off the 2010 World Cup against Mexico. It was June 11, 2010, in Johannesburg. The Rainbow Nation was hosting the first World Cup on African soil, and there was a sense that football history was being made. The host nation took the lead through Siphiwe Tshabalala’s unforgettable rocket, Mexico equalised through Rafa Marquez, and the tournament began with a 1-1 draw that felt appropriate for the occasion.For me, it was memorable for another reason. The National was barely two years old and had dispatched two reporters to cover its first World Cup. I was fortunate enough to be one of them. It was my first Fifa World Cup too; a tournament I had discovered in 1990 and fallen hopelessly in love with by 1994. Euan Megson and I filed stories amid the soundtrack of vuvuzelas, navigating a tournament that felt as historic as it did exciting. It was the best of times.Today, once again, a World Cup will open with Mexico against South Africa. This time the setting is the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The symmetry is remarkable: The same fixture, exactly 16 years later. The Azteca brings its own history too. It’s the only arena to witness both Pele and Diego Maradona lift the trophy – in 1970 and 1986 respectively – and it will etch itself into Fifa’s annals once more as it becomes the first to host three World Cup opening matches.As I looked back through my report from Johannesburg this week, the memories returned quickly. “Street vendors walked the queues of traffic offering everything from hand-painted trumpets to North Korean flags,” I wrote. “Supporters were dressed as one in South Africa's green and gold. They wore friendly smiles and oversized, lensless glasses, and they filled the streets, giving the city a visible, throbbing heartbeat.”▶Reading it back, I was reminded less of the match itself than of the world that surrounded it. Sixteen years is a long time in football. Players become coaches: Fabio Cannavaro had just signed for Dubai’s Al Ahli in 2010; here he will lead Uzbekistan at their first World Cup. Stadiums are rebranded: The Azteca is Mexico City Stadium this summer as Fifa prefers host venues to adopt neutral, location‑based names. Entire generations of supporters grow up: At 17 years and 240 days, Mexico’s Gilberto Mora is the youngest player at World Cup 2026 and was, literally, still in nappies when his country played Bafana Bafana in 2010.Yet some things remain reassuringly familiar. Before a ball is kicked, controversies and polemics always dominate the narrative, while the build-up to the opening match sees the entire host city buzz with both anticipation and the world’s attention. And, somehow, Shakira is still singing the official World Cup anthem.That may be why this fixture feels more significant than a mere coincidence. I’ve realised that while World Cups are often remembered through results and highlights, they are also markers in our own lives. They allow us to look back and see where we were, what we were doing, and how far we have travelled. Whether that is sitting scared in my dad's car in France as jubilant supporters rocked it after the hosts’ triumph in 1998, or sitting a few rows behind Nelson Mandela as Andres Iniesta sealed Spain's first world title 12 years later.On Thursday, when Mexico and South Africa prepare to walk out once more to open a World Cup, I will inevitably think back to Jo’burg. We’re on a different continent watching a different generation of players in a very different world. Yet it will still be green versus gold. And there remains that same sense of possibility that accompanies the first whistle of a World Cup. We get old, but that feeling never does.