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Mexico usually hits a wall when they play on the opening day of the World Cup.
Of the seven previous incidents, El Tri’s record is five losses and two draws. Mexico will get another chance on Thursday when it hosts South Africa to kick off the 48-team tournament.
“We have to break that trend,” coach Javier Aguirre said in a news conference Wednesday at the Azteca stadium.
“I didn’t know about that,” he said of the winless streak, “but I’ll mention it to the guys. It’s a good reason to tell them we’re going to go out and win the game. Let’s hope we break that trend tomorrow.”
Thursday’s game is a rematch of the 2010 World Cup opener in South Africa. That match ended in a 1-1 draw in Johannesburg.
Aguirre, who is in his third stint as Mexico coach, has the team playing its best football in years and riding a seven-match unbeaten streak. El Tri’s last loss was against Paraguay in November.
“It could be a great day for us, whatever it will be, it will be a celebration that will last for decades,” said Aguirre, who played for Mexico at the 1986 World Cup on home soil – when the Mexican team did not compete in the tournament opener but reached the quarter-finals.
“I hope we get off on the right foot like we did then,” he added. “The players know it: tomorrow could be a historic day for many of them as it is unlikely these guys will ever experience a World Cup on home soil again.”
Mexico lost their opening matches in 1930, 1950, 1954, 1958 and 1962 and drew in 1970 – at home – and 2010.
(Photo by PEDRO UGARTE / AFP via Getty Images)
Some of these tournaments had matches starting simultaneously on the opening day, such as Uruguay in 1930, when France beat Mexico 4–1, while the United States defeated Belgium 3–0.
At the 1986 World Cup, defending champions Italy played their tournament opener against Bulgaria – a 1-1 draw in Mexico City. The Mexican team played its first group stage match two days later and had a 2–1 win over Belgium.
Old rivals
(Photo by Carl de Souza and Phill Magakoe/AFP via Getty Images)
Aguirre and Hugo Broos, a former Belgium international who is now South Africa coach, played against each other that day.
“I vividly remember the confidence that we took to the field to face Belgium. We felt confident that the game would not go badly; we understood the challenge that Belgium presented and the South African coach – who played in that game – learned from that experience,” added Aguirre.
Broos, who was appointed in May 2021, has South Africa to its first FIFA World Cup in 16 years and also secured third place at the 2023 African Cup of Nations.
“It is obviously a big challenge to play in front of 87,000 Mexicans, but I will tell the players to focus on the game. The Mexicans (supporters) in the stadium are not playing, they are just shouting and singing and dancing,” Broos said. “We have to focus on the game (and) if we can do that and not be bothered by the noise of the Mexicans, we can have a good game tomorrow.”
After losing to Mexico in 1986, Broos and Belgium rallied to reach the semi-finals. Mexico lost to Germany on penalties in the Round of 16.
“We don’t have the pressure that belongs to the host,” said Broos. “We are very well prepared for tomorrow’s game.”
Report from the Associated Press.
