South Africa Coach Says Team Ready for 2026 World Cup Opener Against Mexico

South Africa coach Hugo Broos said his team will be ready for the 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium on Thursday. "Everything is focused on this game," he said. "They (the Mexican players) are all dangerous, they are a very good team with much movement and solidarity.

You can see they really want to be world champions. You can see that with the way they play. We will have to be at our best level if we want to get a result. " Broos said the players should treat the match as a special experience.

"It will be a special and fantastic experience because my players have never played in that situation. For us it will be very important to stick to the game-plan and we don't listen to what is happening in the stands," he said. He added that the team should remember the support received from South Africans at home.

Broos also noted he played in the opening game of the 1986 World Cup for Belgium against Mexico at the same stadium. "It was a fantastic event and something I will never forget 40 years ago when we played the opening game against Mexico. That was when I felt how special the World Cup is," he said.

"I was so happy as a player, motivated and excited. Now I am back here 40 years later, again playing the opening game against Mexico in the Azteca Stadium.