2026 FIFA World Cup: Why we lost opening game to Mexico – Bafana Bafana captain

South Africa captain Ronwen Williams has called on his teammates to remain confident in their World Cup ambitions despite suffering a 2-0 defeat to Mexico in the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Estadio Azteca.

Bafana Bafana endured a frustrating start to their Group A campaign as goals from Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez handed the hosts all three points. South Africa’s challenge was made even tougher after Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane were both sent off, forcing the team to finish the match with nine men.

Reflecting on the defeat, Williams admitted the early goal disrupted South Africa’s game plan.

“You don’t want to concede in the first 20 minutes, and that’s what exactly happened,” Williams said.

“We wanted to sit up, the nerves, the anxiety, obviously, at this level, you make a mistake, they punish you.”

Despite the disappointing result, the goalkeeper praised the determination shown by his teammates and insisted there were positives to take from the performance.

“We got into the game, put them on the break, but our final passes let us down,” he said.

“There are lots of lessons to take, I am proud of the boys, the efforts, they didn’t stop, they kept fighting.”

Williams urged the squad to quickly put the defeat behind them and focus on their remaining group matches.

“Now is to analyse our mistakes, and not give up, there are still two games to play and we must believe,” Williams added.

The result leaves South Africa with work to do ahead of their next Group A fixture against Czechia, while Mexico moved to the top of the standings after a winning start on home soil.