Julián Quiñones etched his name into football history on Thursday after scoring the first goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Al Qadsiah forward struck in the eighth minute of the tournament’s opening match to give co-hosts Mexico a 1-0 lead over South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
The goal came after South Africa lost possession deep in their own half under pressure from Mexico.
Érik Lira won a challenge for the ball and created the opening for Quiñones, who found himself unmarked in the centre of the penalty area.
The forward made no mistake, sending a right-footed effort past South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams to register the first goal of the competition.
Mexico’s breakthrough followed sustained early pressure. Moments before the goal, Raúl Jiménez had forced a low save from Williams as the hosts pushed for an opener.
Quiñones arrived at the tournament in impressive form after finishing as the Saudi Pro League Golden Boot winner with 33 goals for Al Qadsiah.
The goal added another chapter to the history between Mexico and South Africa, whose previous World Cup opening meeting ended in a 1-1 draw at the 2010 tournament.
At the time of filing this report, the match had gone into half time with Mexico leading 1-0 following Quiñones’ historic strike.
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