South Africa receives first red card of 2026 World Cup in opener against Mexico

South Africa's Sfiso "Yaya" Sitole was shown a red card in the 50th minute of the 2026 World Cup opening match against Mexico on Friday, becoming the first player sent off in the tournament. The dismissal came after Sitole fouled Mexican forward Brian Gutiérrez, who was through on goalkeeper Ronwen Williams. The red card was recorded as the 178th in World Cup history, according to the match officials. Sitole also became only the fifth player to be sent off in a World Cup opening match. The previous red card in World Cup play came during the 2022 tournament in Qatar, when a player was sent off in the quarterfinal between Morocco and Portugal. Mexico and South Africa opened the 2026 tournament in the first match of the competition. No further details on disciplinary follow-up were immediately available.