World Cup opening game CHAOS as three players are sent off including South Africa star for SLAPPING rival

THE 2026 World Cup descended into chaos when THREE players were sent off as Mexico beat South Africa on opening night. The first game of the tournament made unwanted history after producing three red cards, the most ever shown in an opening match at a World Cup. South Africa were responsible for two of those dismissals as their discipline completely unravelled in the game. Yaya Sithole became the first player to receive his marching orders after a reckless challenge on Brian Gutierrez left the referee with little choice. But the drama was only just beginning as tempers flared across the pitch in front of a packed crowd. Veteran star Themba Zwane was then shown a red card after VAR intervened to review an off-the-ball incident that saw him slap a mexican player. READ MORE IN SPORTS Officials took a second look at the flashpoint before deciding the South African midfielder had crossed the line. The decision left Bafana Bafana down to nine men and facing an impossible task against their North American opponents. Mexico also finished the game a man short after defender Cesar Montes was sent off during the bad-tempered contest. Three red cards in one game set a record, and to put things into perspective, there were only four red cards in the entire last World Cup in Qatar. Most read in Sport BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS World Cup 2026 - all the info LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED! This year’s World Cup will be like no other as a record-breaking 48 nations compete to lift football’s biggest prize. England manager Thomas Tuchel is hoping to finally bring football home after a 60-year drought. But footballing legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have other plans in what will likely be their final World Cup appearance. SunSport have got everything you need for the huge tournament LATEST NEWS - Trump admin reveals reason for ref being banned from World Cup - EXCL: USA World Cup hero fears stadiums could be left half-empty - Man Utd World Cup stars set for mixed tournament - How BBC vs ITV line-ups compare for the World Cup KEY INFO - World Cup 2026 full match schedule including kick-off times - World Cup 2026 full squads - World Cup 2026 rule changes - World Cup 2026 prize money VIDEO TIPS AND BETTING If you click a link in this article, we will earn affiliate revenue. This was also only the fifth World Cup match to see as many as three red cards, and first since Netherlands v Portugal in 2006 (4). The dismissal did little to halt Mexico’s momentum as they continued to press for victory. South Africa had arrived at the World Cup hoping to mark their first appearance since hosting the tournament in 2010 with a memorable result. Instead, their comeback to football‘s biggest stage quickly turned into a nightmare as frustration got the better of them. Mark Halsey's verdict WHAT a crazy start to the World Cup – three second half red cards in the first game of the tournament. South Africa midfielder Yaya Sithole could have no complaints about his sending off. Brian Gutierrez was through on goal and clearly fouled. Referee Wilton Sampaio had no other choice but to show him a red card. The decision would have been the same even if the foul had taken place in the penalty area because Sithole did not make a genuine attempt to play the ball. Sampaio was in a great position for the second incident, but was it really an act of violent conduct? It was not a clear an obvious error, so VAR should not have got involved. For the second incident, Themba Zwane did not punch Mexico’s Roberto Alvarado. He pushed him away with the palm of his hand, it was reckless use of the arm and therefore a yellow card was sufficient. And for the final red card, you could ask why Mexico captain Cesar Montes makes that challenge in stoppage-time with his team 2-0 up, but did he deny a clear goalscoring opportunity? The referee has to consider the distance from goal, direction of play, whether the attacker would keep or gain control of the ball and the location of defenders within the vicinity. Nobody would have complained had a yellow card been shown. It is the first game of the world’s most prestigious tournament, that game did not warrant three red cards. Did the referee overreact? The defeat leaves South Africa with plenty of work to do if they are to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stages alive. And after a night that rewrote the World Cup record books for all the wrong reasons, they will need to rediscover their discipline fast.