Join The Club
The World Cup 2026 gets underway in Mexico City in what is a reverse of the opening game of the 2010 tournament in South Africa.
- Date: Thursday, June 11
- Kick-off time: 8:00pm BST / 3:00pm ET / 5:00am AEST (Fri)
- FREE Stream: ITV (UK) / SBS (AUS)
- TV & Streaming: Fox (US)
- Watch from anywhere: Get Norton VPN (60-day money back guarantee)
Precisely 16 years ago, a stunning solo effort from Siphiwe Tshabalala was greeted by the deafening sound of vuvuzelas as South Africa took the lead. The home fans were then silenced late in the game when Rafael Márquez rescued a draw for Mexico.
This time around it is Mexico that will receive overwhelming support when they take on Bafana Bafana in the opening match in Group A.
Javier Aguirre’s side have been in terrific form this year and are unbeaten in their last eight games. Their most recent performance was an excellent one as they thumped Serbia 5-1 earlier this month.
South Africa’s form is less impressive, having lost to Panama in May before playing out a goalless draw with Nicaragua and narrowly beating Jamaica 1-0 in their most recent friendlies. Not the form of a team that should give El Tri much trouble.
Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Mexico vs South Africa in the FIFA World Cup 2026 online, on TV, and from anywhere.
Watch Mexico vs South Africa for FREE
Mexico vs South Africa will be free-to-stream across multiple regions, including ITV in the UK, RTÉ Player in Ireland, SBS On Demand in Australia, CazéTV on YouTube in Brazil, NOS in the Netherlands, VRT in Belgium, SRF/RTS/RSI in Switzerland, and TRT in Turkey.
This game is also one of just two matches available for free on Tubi in the US.
English commentary will be provided on ITV, RTE Player and SBS On Demand.
‼️ Outside one of these countries? Use Norton VPN to unlock your stream from anywhere in the world — more on that below.
Watch Mexico vs South Africa from anywhere
Away from home this summer and want to watch Mexico vs South Africa? All you need is a VPN, a handy piece of software that makes your devices appear to be in a different location.
This World Cup, our office friends at TechRadar are recommending Norton VPN:
How to watch Mexico vs South Africa in the UK
In the UK, you can stream Mexico vs South Africa on ITV.
How to watch Mexico vs South Africa in the US
In the US, you can stream Mexico vs South Africa on Fox and for free on Tubi.
This channel is accessible via Fox's own streaming platform Fox One or via a cord-cutting platform such as YouTube TV, Hulu+Live TV, Sling (select markets), Fubo or DirecTV.
You can get free trials on all of those excluding Sling.
How to watch Mexico vs South Africa in Australia
In Australia, you can watch Mexico vs South Africa on the free SBS On Demand.
Mexico vs South Africa: Group
FourFourTwo's prediction
Mexico 1-0 South Africa
Mexico should have enough quality to edge what is likely to be a typically cagey encounter: here's what to look out for in the game.
FAQs
Where is Mexico vs South Africa playing?
Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
What happened the last time Mexico played South Africa in the World Cup?
They drew 1-1 in the 2010 opening match
What is the weather for the match in Mexico City?
The weather is around 22-24 degrees, with a 20 per cent chance of showers.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
