Bafana will also face South Korea and one of four European sides in Group A.
Bafana Bafana will play in the opening match of the 2026 Fifa World Cup against Mexico in Mexico City on June 11.
2010 Bafana deja-vu
The match is a repeat of the opening match of the 2010 Fifa World Cup when Carlos Alberto Parreira’s Bafana hosted Mexico at FNB Stadium.
Siphiwe Tshabalala scored a famous goal with a wonderful left-footed strike, but Rafael Marquez equalised to earn Mexico a point. In the end it was Mexico and Uruguay who qualified for the last 16 while Bafana crashed out.
Hugo Broos’ side will also face South Korea and a European play-off winner in Group A, after the draw was conducted in Washington on Friday.
The European side that Bafana will play will be one of Denmark, North Macedonia, the Czech Republic and the Republic of Ireland.
Bafana also played Mexico in the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup in the USA. Stuart Baxter was the Bafana head coach and South Africa won the match 2-1 with Philip Evans and Elrio Van Heerden getting the goals.
This will be the first time that South Korea and Bafana have played a senior international match.
While they will play Mexico in front of a passionate home crowd, on paper the draw is not too bad for Broos’ side, who avoided the likes of Brazil, France, Spain and Argentina.
There are still six places at this expanded 48-team World Cup finals up for grabs at the World Cup play-offs in March, which is why Bafana’s third opponent is not known for now.
DR Congo are the African side that could still claim their place in the USA, Canada and Mexico next year.
Of the other African teams in the World Cup draw, 2022 World Cup finalists Morocco will take on Brazil in the opening match of Group C and have also been drawn with Haiti and Scotland.
The Ivory Coast are in Group D with Germany, Curacao and Ecuador. Tunisia will play the Netherlands, Japan and a play-off winner in Group. F. Egypt will face Belgium in their opening Group G match. Iran and New Zealand make up the rest of that group.
France v Senegal repeat
France and Senegal will face off in their first Group I match, a repeat of the opening match of the 2002 Fifa World Cup in Japan and South Korea, which Senegal won.
Algeria will open their Group J campaign against reigning world champions Argentina, with Austria and Jordan the other teams in the group.
