Mexico Aims to Break a Historic Curse in World Cup Opening Matches

The Mexican National Team will have the honor of playing the opening match of the 2026 World Cup as one of the host nations. However, there is one historical statistic working against them: Mexico has never won a World Cup opening match, despite having played in seven of them.

Over nearly a century of World Cup history, El Tri has opened tournaments across different eras and continents, but victory has always slipped away.

The First Opening Match in World Cup History

The story began at Uruguay 1930, when Mexico played against France in the first match in World Cup history.

On July 13, Mexico suffered a 4-1 defeat, although Juan Carreño scored Mexico's first-ever World Cup goal.

That result started a trend that has followed El Tri for decades.

Four Consecutive Opening Defeats

Mexico continued to appear in opening matches in several later editions, but the results remained unfavorable.

• Brazil 1950: 4-0 loss to Brazil.
• Switzerland 1954: 5-0 loss to Brazil.
• Sweden 1958: 3-0 loss to Sweden.
• Chile 1962: 2-0 loss to Brazil.

Mexico faced some of the strongest national teams of the era and was unable to avoid starting the tournament with a defeat.

The Draws That Ended the Losing Streak

The situation improved slightly in later appearances.

At Mexico 1970, in front of more than 100,000 spectators at Estadio Azteca, El Tri played to a 0-0 draw against the Soviet Union in the tournament opener.

Forty years later, at South Africa 2010, Mexico once again took part in the opening match and earned a 1-1 draw against the host nation. Rafael Márquez scored Mexico's goal in Johannesburg.

Although the losing streak came to an end, the first victory remains elusive.

A Record Mexico Wants to Change

After seven World Cup opening matches, Mexico's record stands at:

• 5 losses
• 2 draws
• 0 wins

No other national team has participated in so many opening matches without recording at least one victory.

Will It Be Different at the 2026 World Cup?

The 2026 World Cup presents a unique opportunity to rewrite history.

Mexico will once again play the opening match as a host nation and will have the chance to achieve something it has never accomplished in any of its previous World Cup debuts: winning a World Cup opening match.