Expert Picks
Mexico have been spectacular defensively leading up to the World Cup, conceding just two goals across their past eight matches. El Tri are coming off a convincing victory in their final tune-up, cruising to a 5-1 victory over Serbia on June 4. South Africa are winless in their past five matches overall, and now they’ll face a raucous crowd in Mexico City. I’m backing Mexico to secure a comfortable victory in front of their home fans in the opener.
The opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico. The match features Mexico hosting South Africa. I physically can't emphasize enough how big of a deal this match is for Mexico, and how rowdy this stadium is going to be. Mexico will have the incredible home field advantage, but more important than that, they have a wildly good attack this year. Mexico has Santiago Gimenez, Armando Gonzales, Raul Jimenez, and more at their disposal, and I believe they'll get three goals by themselves in this opening match.
Mexico are the best team in this group and are the favorites to finish top. They'll be playing a South Africa team who is not bad by any means, but who are the worst team in the group. Not only does South Africa have to start their campaign against the best team, but they also have to travel to Mexico to play this match at Estadio Azteca. The opening match for the World Cup, and one of the host nations gets to play the match in their backyard. I think Mexico win this one easily, but multiple goals, with the crowd being overwhelming.
We have the opening match of the tournament, and all eyes will be on Mexico. That also means South Africa should feel just about all of the pressure in this spot. For me, this is an easy under bet unless Mexico goes out and wins 3-0. South Africa simply do not create enough going forward, and now they have to play Mexico in Mexico, in front of what should be a wild crowd. The surprise is that South Africa are good enough defensively to keep Mexico from completely running wild. I don’t think they offer enough to threaten consistently, but I do think they can make Mexico work for everything. My projected scoreline is 2-0 Mexico, which keeps me firmly on the under.
The World Cup starts one week from today in Mexico, and this is the last -1 on our board for El Tri (-1.25 or -1.5) so better grab it now. Mexico is the favorite to win Group A because the assumption is that it will win this match at Estadio Azteca. Then it could probably draw the next two and be fine. Mexico is ranked 15th in the world and South Africa 60th -- the visitors won't be used to the altitude in Mexico City, a huge edge for the hosts. Mexico is unbeaten in 2026, allowing just one goal in six total matches. I considered Under 2.5 goals.
This is a must-win game for Mexico. El Tri have landed in a fiercely competitive group, along with South Korea, South Africa, and the Czech Republic. South Africa look like the weakest team in the group, so Mexico can't afford to drop points in this match. They will benefit from passionate home support in Mexico City, and they have stronger players than South Africa in every department, so they should win by at least one goal. Backing Mexico -1 means you profit if El Tri win by at least two goals, and you get your money back if they only win by a single goal, and that looks like a great bet.