The 2026 FIFA World Cup is under way, and Mexico kicked off the tournament with a 2-0 win over South Africa to give the co-hosts an ideal start. For anyone following through a UK sportsbook platform, that result will have shifted the early markets considerably, as it so often does when a host nation wins the opening game.
Host nations have tended to use the opening fixture to set a tone for their tournament, though the results have not always gone to plan. Here is a look at how each of the last five World Cup openers played out, from the most recent back to 2010.
2026: Mexico 2-0 South Africa
Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 in the opening game of the 2026 World Cup at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, but a match that ended comfortably enough was far from straightforward. Julian Quinones put the hosts ahead in the ninth minute after South Africa lost possession from a goal kick.
The game produced three red cards, a record for a World Cup opener. Yaya Sithole was dismissed four minutes into the second half for pulling back Brian Gutierrez as he ran through on goal, leaving South Africa with 10 men. Raul Jimenez headed in Mexico’s second from Roberto Alvarado’s cross shortly after to seal the result. Substitute Themba Zwane was then sent off for slapping an opponent off the ball, reducing South Africa to nine, before Mexico’s Cesar Montes was dismissed in added time for a last-man foul. Jimenez, who suffered a fractured skull playing for Wolves against Arsenal in November 2020, was visibly emotional as he celebrated scoring his first World Cup goal on home soil at the age of 35.
2022: Qatar 0-2 Ecuador
Qatar became the first host nation in World Cup history to lose their opening game when Ecuador beat them 2-0 at the Al Bayt Stadium. Enner Valencia was the central figure, scoring both goals in the first half. His opener came from the penalty spot after Qatar’s goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb brought him down in the box. The second arrived shortly before the break, with Valencia powering in a header to double Ecuador’s advantage.
Valencia had a third goal disallowed by VAR in the opening minutes, which would have made him Ecuador’s all-time World Cup leading scorer even earlier. He ended the game as their record goalscorer regardless, with five strikes across the 2014 and 2022 tournaments. Qatar failed to register a shot on target throughout the entire match.
2018: Russia 5-0 Saudi Arabia
Russia put on an emphatic showing at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow to silence doubts about their readiness as hosts. Denis Cheryshev came off the bench to score twice and finished the tournament as joint-second in the Golden Boot standings. The hosts scored five without reply in a result that shifted expectations around Russia’s prospects considerably.
Saudi Arabia failed to muster an attempt on target throughout, mirroring what Qatar would experience four years later. Russia went on to reach the quarter-finals, where Croatia needed penalties to end their run.
2014: Brazil 3-1 Croatia
Brazil’s opening game at the Arena de Sao Paulo was anything but straightforward. Marcelo put the ball into his own net after 12 minutes to give Croatia an early lead, leaving 62,000 home supporters in silence. Neymar levelled before half-time and added a second in the second half to turn the game around, with Oscar rounding off the scoring in the final minutes.
The result was ultimately comfortable, but the manner of it highlighted the enormous pressure on the Brazil squad to deliver a home triumph. That pressure would tell as the tournament progressed, with Germany defeating them 7-1 in the semi-finals in one of the most startling results in World Cup history.
2010: South Africa 1-1 Mexico
The first World Cup held on African soil opened with South Africa drawing 1-1 with Mexico at Soccer City in Johannesburg. Siphiwe Tshabalala became the first player to score in an Africa-hosted World Cup when he drove home a long-range strike to put the hosts ahead. Rafael Marquez equalised for Mexico, and the point ultimately proved enough for Mexico to progress from the group, finishing above South Africa on goal difference.
Tshabalala’s goal remains one of the more celebrated moments from that tournament, and South Africa’s performance gave the home support plenty to take from the occasion despite the draw.
