Mexico vs South Africa World Cup predictions, confirmed lineups & betting tips

Back in 2010, South Africa opened their home World Cup against Mexico. Sixteen years on and the roles are reversed, as El Tri open this summer’s North American festival of football at the Estadio Azteca.

Mexico vs South Africa lineups are confirmed and we have betting tips and predictions for tonight’s match.

Mexico vs South Africa confirmed lineups

• Mexico lineup: Rangel; Alvarado, Fidalgo, Gallardo, Gutierrez, Jimenez, Lira, Montes (C), Quionones, Reyes
• South Africa lineup: Williams (C); Adams, Foster, Mbokazi, Modiba, Mokoena, Mudau, Okon, Rayners, Sibisi

Check out betting tips below, and keep up live with the opener in our Mexico vs South Africa overview:

Mexico vs South Africa Betting Tips

• Mexico to win or draw – Was evens, now 60/1 with Sky Bet
• Mexico to score over 1.5 goals – 7/10 with Betway
• Raul Jimenez to score any time – 6/5 with bet365

Mexico vs South Africa head to head overview

• Date: Thursday 11th June.
• Kick-off: 8pm.
• Venue: Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico.
• Where to watch: ITV1 and ITVX.
• Referee: TBC.
• VAR: Yes.
• Last meeting: 11th June 2010; South Africa 1-1 Mexico.
• Last 4 matches: Mexico – 2 wins; South Africa – 1 win; Draws – 1.
• Favourite to win: Mexico.

Mexico vs South Africa Bet Boosts

While only 13 of this World Cup’s 104 matches will take place in Mexico, the most football-mad nation of the three co-hosts feels like the appropriate place to begin the tournament.

This is the third time a World Cup will be played in Mexico, after 1970 and 1986. Those are two of the most iconic tournaments of all time. Hopefully this one will follow suit, even if the vast majority of matches are being staged north of the border in the USA.

To say there is pressure on Mexico ahead of the big kick-off would be an understatement. Playing at home brings its own expectation, as does being the Pot One team in your group.

Can Mexico deal with the heat? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure: a second consecutive group stage exit would be seen as a disaster for El Tri.

Between 1994 and 2018, Mexico reached the last 16 of the World Cup and no further. Four years ago in Qatar, they did not even make the knockout phase. 

Mexico have regrouped since then, winning the latest editions of CONCACAF’s two main tournaments, the Nations League and the Gold Cup.

The experienced Javier Aguirre has returned for a third spell in charge of his country, and his pragmatism looks like a good fit for a squad which lacks top-tier talent.

Indeed, there are relatively few Mexico players plying their trade at the elite level in Europe, although 17-year-old wonderkid Gilberto Mora will surely be heading across the Atlantic sooner rather than later.

South Africa will aim to spoil the party in their first World Cup game since 2010, when they welcomed the planet as hosts. 

The opening match against Mexico that summer was a 1-1 draw. Needless to say, South Africa would be the happier of the two teams with that result on Thursday.

Mexico vs South Africa tips

Co-hosts Mexico face South Africa in the curtain-raising opening game of World Cup 2026.

Dream start for Mexico

This is not the greatest Mexico squad of all time, but it would be a mistake to underestimate them. 

Aguirre has made the team organised and disciplined without the ball, so opponents will not find it easy to break through their backline.

True, Mexico lack a little craft in the final third. But they will press aggressively and move the ball forward quickly, creating chances in transition.

The atmosphere at the Estadio Azteca will be white-hot, making this a daunting task for South Africa. 

Bafana Bafana are neat and tidy, but they lack punch in the final third. A win is in the offing for Mexico, but a draw is sufficient for the tip.

Sky Bet has a great boost in place for the opener, offering a huge prize on Mexico win or draw. The boost gives tremendous value, and is perfectly suited for this tip.

Back Mexico to win or draw at 60/1 with Sky Bet

2+ goals for hosts?

Mexico will come charging out of the blocks, hoping to establish an early lead to settle their nerves. 

South Africa will aim to keep them at bay in the first 20 minutes. Falling behind in that time would leave Hugo Broos’ boys in a very difficult position. 

If South Africa can hold out until half-time, they will grow in confidence. But despite Broos’ combative nature, this is not a side which looks well equipped to withstand pressure for 90 minutes.

With that in mind, Mexico will fancy their chances of scoring at least two goals on matchday one.

Tip Mexico to score over 1.5 goals at 7/10 with Betway

Jimenez to break duck

At the age of 35, this will surely be Raul Jimenez’s last World Cup. Somewhat surprisingly, the Fulham striker is still waiting for his first goal at this level.

Only Javier Hernandez and Jared Borgetti have scored more goals for El Tri than Jimenez, yet none of his 45 international strikes have come on football’s biggest stage.

If he was not sufficiently motivated for the South Africa game already, Jimenez only needs one more goal to draw level with Borgetti in the all-time charts.

The experienced centre-forward will get chances against South Africa. Back him to take one.

Go for Raul Jimenez to score any time at 6/5 with bet365

Mexico vs South Africa Betting Offers

Check out SBK’s money back offer in which you can get money back as a free bet builder if your bet builder loses on Mexico vs South Africa.

Mexico vs South Africa latest odds

Find the latest Mexico vs South Africa betting odds here. All odds are provided by our recommended football bookmakers and are subject to change.

More World Cup 2026 predictions

We have plenty more World Cup 2026 predictions and picks – find our latest betting tips from expert punters in our match preview overview.

Important historical facts about Mexico and South Africa for betting

Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa could become the first player in history to appear at six World Cups. Mexico head into the tournament on an eight-game unbeaten streak.

This is the first World Cup South Africa have qualified for since 2002, aside from their automatic qualification in 2010 as hosts.

About the author

Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.

Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball

Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply.

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chase their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
• Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk

Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.

For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.