Football betting tips: World Cup
2.5pts Mexico to win and over 1.5 goals at 5/6 (bet365)
0.5pt Cesar Montes to score anytime at 10/1 (General)
0.5pt Johan Vasquez to score anytime at 12/1 (General)
The 2026 World Cup gets under way at the iconic Azteca Stadium on Thursday night as co-hosts Mexico take on South Africa, with roles reversed from 2010.
On that occasion, Siphiwe Tshabalala produced one of the most memorable goals in tournament history, unleashing a thunderous strike with the infamous Jabulani ball to put Bafana Bafana ahead in a match that ultimately ended in a draw.
WATCH: RANKING THE WORLD CUP HOME SHIRTS!
Sixteen years later, experienced major-tournament operators Mexico arrive as clear favourites for this "rematch" and with expectations high.
For South Africa, meanwhile, this World Cup marks a first successful qualification since 2002. Belgian coach Hugo Broos deserves enormous credit for ending that drought, guiding a squad largely composed of domestically-based players to the finals, relying on organisation and strong defence.
The tournament itself is an altogether different proposition though and Bafana Bafana face a mammoth task to get a point never mind qualify from Group A.
World Cup hosts' opening games since 1986
- 1986 - Belgium 1–2 Mexico
- 1990 - Italy 1–0 Austria
- 1994 - USA 1-1 Switzerland
- 1998 - France 3-0 South Africa
- 2002 - South Korea 2-0 Poland / Japan 2-2 Belgium
- 2006 - Germany 4-2 Costa Rica
- 2010 - South Africa 1-1 Mexico
- 2014 - Brazil 3-1 Croatia
- 2018 - Russia 5-0 Saudi Arabia
- 2022 - Qatar 0-2 Ecuador
Back in 2010 South Africa became the first host nation to fail to reach the knock-out stage. By drawing the curtain-raiser they at least avoided the ignominy eventually suffered by Qatar in 2022 when the Arab state lost to Ecuador to become the first hosts to do so in their World Cup opener.
It's fair to say those two nations are the weakest to have benefited from home advantage.
Since Mexico '86 - when the Azteca Stadium witnessed a 2-1 home win over Belgium - the hosts have a W7 D3 L1 record in their opening fixture, with the additional draws being the USA (1994) and Japan (2002) both of whom went into those tournaments with very little international pedigree.
The last five victories in that sample have all been handsome.
Only once have there been under 2.5 goals, with the host nation themselves scoring at least three times in four of those wins.
MEXICO are an unsurprising, prohibitive 4/9 TO WIN but combined with OVER 1.5 GOALS can be backed at 5/6. For those looking for a slightly bigger price, Javier Aguirre's men are 13/10 on the -1 handicap.
This really ought to be a straightforward start for the hosts, and we haven't even mentioned the added advantage of Mexico City's altitude of 2,200 metres.
My preference for the safer bet in the 1x2 is in part due to me also wanting to take the bigger prices on offer to back Mexico's set-piece strength, starting with the 10/1 about captain CESAR MONTES TO SCORE ANYTIME.
He was backed to be Mexico top scorer (66/1) in my Group A preview, an accolade he shared with Fulham (and soon to be Wolves) striker Raul Jimenez at last year's CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The defender scored three times in his final six matches of the season for Lokomotiv Moscow and recovered from injury to start last week's 5-1 win over Serbia, having one shot in his 59 minutes on the pitch. Centre-back partner JOHAN VASQUEZ was on the scoresheet for a second successive Mexico match, and he is also backed TO SCORE ANYTIME at 12/1.
Serbia scored two own goals in that game, one of which came from a corner, as the hosts made their ability from those situations tell. Belgium were also unable to contain them in April as Jorge Sanchez found the net, meaning a defender has scored from a corner in three of Mexico's last four matches.
More World Cup content from Sporting Life
- World Cup Acca
- FREE World Cup wallchart
- FREE World Cup sweepstake kit
- Fixtures, results and live scores
- World Cup 2026: All you need to know
Group previews
- World Cup betting guide
- Group A: Mexico; South Africa; South Korea; Czechia
- Group B: Canada; Bosnia; Qatar; Switzerland
- Group C: Brazil; Morocco; Haiti; Scotland
- Group D: USA; Paraguay; Australia; Turkiye
- Group E: Germany; Curacao; Ivory Coast; Ecuador
- Group F: Netherlands; Japan; Sweden; Tunisia
- Group G: Belgium; Egypt; Iran; New Zealand
- Group H: Spain; Cape Verde; Saudi Arabia; Uruguay
- Group I: France; Senegal; Iraq; Norway
- Group J: Argentina; Algeria; Austria; Jordan
- Group K: Portugal; DR Congo; Uzbekistan; Colombia
- Group L: England; Croatia; Ghana; Panama
Outright previews
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