MEXICO CITY: A unique and unusual record was recorded in the opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2026, when the referee showed red cards to three players in the match played between Mexico and South Africa.
It should be noted that this was the first time in the history of the mega event that the cover card of three players was shown in the first match. In the match, 2 players from South Africa and one from Mexico were shown red cards.
In the opening game of the mega event, the South African players showed a very tough game, the referee sent off 2 players by showing a red card and South Africa played the rest of the match with 9 players and the Mexican player was also red carded in the last minutes of the game.
It is worth mentioning that Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 in the opening match of the FIFA World Cup.
It is worth mentioning that 3 or more red cards have been shown in 1 match 7 times in the history of the World Cup, but this is the first time in the opening match. In the 2006 World Cup match between Portugal and the Netherlands, the most red cards were 4.
