Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio (unseen) shows a red card to Mexico’s defender #03 Cesar Montes during the 2026 World Cup Group A football match between Mexico and South Africa at the Mexico City Stadium in Mexico City on June 11, 2026. (Photo by Yuri CORTEZ / AFP)
Mexico and South Africa’s 2026 World Cup opener will be remembered for all the wrong reasons after a chaotic contest produced three red cards, joining an infamous list of the tournament’s most ill-disciplined matches.
Played at the Estadio Azteca, the 2-0 win for Mexico saw South Africa reduced to nine men and a late dismissal for Mexico’s César Montes added further controversy. Referee Wilton Sampaio also issued a series of cautions in a game that quickly spiralled into disciplinary chaos.
The match immediately entered World Cup record discussions as the first-ever opening fixture to feature three sendings-off, but it still fell short of the most card-heavy games in tournament history.
Below is a ranked look at five of the most red-card-filled matches ever played at the World Cup.
