Mexico will kick off the 2026 World Cup at Estadio Azteca when they host South Africa in the tournament’s opening match, the first of 104 games in the expanded 48-team event staged across three host nations.
The immediate betting headline is straightforward: Raul Jimenez is backed at 6/4 to score anytime for Mexico against South Africa. That single price frames the morning markets and focuses attention on Mexico’s most obvious attacking outlet for the Group A opener.
Jimenez arrives in clear form. The 35-year-old finished the 2025-26 Premier League season with nine goals and three assists for Fulham, scored in Mexico’s 5-1 final warm-up win over Serbia, and helped his country lift its first CONCACAF Nations League title in 2025. Those numbers are the weight behind the 6/4 recommendation.
Context sharpens the pick: Mexico have not lost an opening match at a men’s World Cup since 1994, and enter this tournament unbeaten in 2026. Playing the opener at Estadio Azteca, on home soil and in front of a partisan crowd, upgrades any attacking player with match-winning instincts — and Jimenez is widely presented as Mexico’s focal point in attack.
The preview’s tension is personal. Jimenez’s journey includes a serious skull fracture sustained in 2020 while playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers; his return to top-level fitness and form has been incremental since. The recent passing of his father adds emotional weight to his role in Mexico’s opener, a human element that matters to supporters and bettors alike.
Practically, the 6/4 anytime price is a simple proposition for casual backers: a single successful touch that results in a goal pays out. For sharper money, Jimenez’s league output, his goal in the Serbia friendly and his Nations League pedigree supply evidence that he will get chances in and around the South African box — the conditions an anytime-price bet needs to land.
Still, the gap in the preview is obvious: an anytime bet does not answer whether Mexico’s opener will hinge on Jimenez alone. Group A also contains the Czech Republic and South Korea, and South Africa arrive with their own tactical plans to disrupt Mexico’s rhythm. How Mexico builds its chances around Jimenez and whether teammates share the scoring burden remain open questions ahead of kickoff.
What to watch when the match begins: Jimenez’s movement in the penalty area, his rapport with Mexico’s wide players, and whether South Africa’s defensive shape forces Mexico to create higher-quality opportunities rather than volume. If Jimenez is closely marked, his value as a 6/4 anytime pick depends on Mexico creating one or two clear chances rather than the usual run of low-percentage shots.
The clearest unresolved point is the one bettors are buying: will Raul Jimenez score in Mexico’s World Cup opener? The match at Estadio Azteca will answer that question within 90 minutes — and the early markets have already made their bet.
