Jorge Sánchez celebrates Mexico's win, Azteca return secured for next round

Mexico’s 2-0 debut win over South Africa did more than open the 2026 World Cup with a clean result. It strengthened the sense that the Tri’s run at home can become a real edge, with Jorge Sánchez emerging as one of the faces of that moment as Mexico moved closer to a return to the Estadio Ciudad de México for the next round.

Sánchez was visibly pleased after the victory and pointed to the support around the team as a central part of the night. That mattered in a match that came with early pressure from a South African side whose coach, Hugo Broos, had warned his players would fight hard against Mexico. Instead, Mexico controlled the result and carried the momentum into a World Cup campaign that already has a clear domestic footprint.

The schedule gives that atmosphere added weight. FIFA confirmed that Mexico will play all three of its group matches on home soil, beginning with the win over South Africa on Thursday, June 11, 2026. The second group game, against South Korea, was set for Guadalajara on Thursday, June 18, 2026, in a stadium that will host four matches during the tournament. The Estadio Ciudad de México, still undergoing renovation and reopening work tied to the World Cup, is scheduled to receive two group-stage matches.

For Mexico, the home stretch is not just symbolic. The expanded tournament will feature 48 teams and 104 matches, and every venue choice can shape the path for a host nation trying to turn familiarity into advantage. Guadalajara carries special weight in that equation because it is part of the World Cup legacy of 1970 and 1986, and its return to the global stage places another major Mexican city inside the tournament’s center of gravity.

Sánchez’s own position adds another layer to the story. He has been building a case as a serious option at right back for the Selección Mexicana, especially with Rodrigo Huescas sidelined by injury. Reports have also pointed to Cruz Azul renewing Sánchez’s contract and raising his salary, while Toluca and PAOK were among the clubs linked to him.

That backdrop made his celebration after the South Africa win feel larger than one result. Mexico did not just bank a victory to start the tournament. It reinforced a familiar truth about its World Cup identity: with its own people behind it, the team can make the home schedule count in ways that go beyond sentiment.