Quinones Puts Mexico Ahead in Ninth Minute as 2026 World Cup Opens at Azteca

Julian Quinones scored the opening goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the ninth minute as Mexico defeated South Africa in Group A at Mexico City Stadium on June 11, 2026. The strike came moments after a charged opening ceremony at the renamed Estadio Azteca, where Grammy Award-winning singer Alejandro Fernandez performed the Mexican national anthem to a full stadium. Mexican players linked arms and sang together on the pitch; several were visibly moved.

The goal originated from a goalkeeping error. South Africa's goalkeeper played a short pass that a teammate failed to control, and Erik Lira intercepted the loose ball. He found Quinones, who took a single dribble inside before driving a right-footed shot into the net. Quinones sprinted to the Mexico bench and was surrounded by teammates. Mexico had applied sustained early pressure, registering two corner kicks before the breakthrough. All 48 competing nations were represented during the opening ceremony, and FIFA president Gianni Infantino attended alongside the FIFA World Cup Trophy.

When Mexico scores first in a World Cup match, its record is strong. According to figures cited from the draft, the team has won 14 and drawn five of the 22 tournament games in which it has opened the scoring. Thursday's match is also historically weighted for another reason: Mexico's last World Cup appearance, in Qatar in 2022, ended in the group stage - the first such early exit since 1978, excluding a ban in 1990 and failure to qualify in 1982. Prior to Qatar, Mexico had advanced past the group stage in nine consecutive World Cups in which it participated. The nation has never reached the semifinals; its deepest run remains a quarterfinal appearance on home soil in 1986.

The match in Mexico City is the first of 104 scheduled across the expanded 48-team tournament. The final is set for July 19 at the stadium in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area. Mexico's next fixtures in Group A will determine whether the host nation can translate an opening win into a sustained run deep into a competition it has not progressed beyond the round of 16 in four decades.