WTF: Three red cards in the opening match, unheard-of scenes! | OneFootball

A sad entry into history.

On Thursday evening, for the opening match of the 2026 World Cup, Mexico and South Africa sent this game into the history books in a very strange way.

With the dismissals of Sphephelo Sithole (49th), Themba Zwane (84th) and César Montes (90+2), this match became the first opening game in history to feature so many red cards.

You have to go back to the 2006 World Cup and the famous Battle of Nuremberg between Portugal and the Netherlands to see as many red cards handed out in a World Cup match.

That night, the two teams had done even worse, with two red cards on each side (Costinha, Deco, Khalid Boulahrouz, Giovanni van Bronckhorst)

This World Cup is off to a flying start!

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.

📸 Carl Recine - 2026 Getty Images