Co-hosts Mexico have beaten nine-man South Africa 2-0 in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup at a cacophonous Azteca Stadium.An 80,824 crowd that created a spectacular sight as they tossed imitation sombreros from all four sides of the ground in the seconds before kick-off reached fever pitch after seven minutes when Julian Quinones struck through the legs of Ronwen Williams.Mexico midfielder Erik Lira pounced as Sphephelo Sithole dithered after receiving possession from goalkeeper Williams, before Quinones emphatically applied the finishing touch.Livewire forward Quinones clipped the roof of the net with a long-range effort, then smacked the base of Williams’ left post following neat approach play from the rampant hosts.Five minutes after the restart, Sithole received a straight red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity when he felled the advancing Brian Gutierrez on the edge of the penalty area.The 17-year-old Gilberto Mora received a rapturous welcome when he came on after 67 minutes to become the second youngest player to appear in a World Cup finals, behind Norman Whiteside of Northern Ireland in 1982.