Bafana Bafana set for déjà vu: Nkota aims to reignite Tshabalala magic in 2026 World Cup opener against Mexico
Mohau Nkota wants to have a big impact on the 2026 World Cup opener when Bafana Bafana play co-hosts Mexico.
Image: BackpagePix
The draw for the 2026 World Cup in North America was conducted in Washington DC on Friday, and Bafana Bafana landed one of the most important matches of the tournament – the opener.
Just like in 2010, when South Africa opened their tournament against Mexico, the two countries will once again lock horns on June 11, 2026, exactly 16 years on from that historic encounter at Soccer City in Johannesburg.
With the eyes of the world squarely fixed on South Africa, then-Kaizer Chiefs star Siphiwe Tshabalala popped up to score the opening goal of the tournament after running on to a beautiful through ball by Kagisho Dikgacoi.
The goal, accompanied by Peter Drury’s iconic piece of commentary, was a thing of beauty and is regarded as a favourite by many football supporters across the world. Even to this day, it is still shared widely on social media and accompanied by overwhelmingly positive comments about the first-ever World Cup on African soil.
Speaking after the draw was made on Friday, Mohau Nkota, who plays for Saudi club Al Ettifaq, said he wanted to have as big an impact on the tournament as Tshabalala did all those years ago.
“For me, I just go there to score,” the former Orlando Pirates star said on SuperSport. “I want to score the first goal of the FIFA World Cup.”
Along with Mexico, South Africa were drawn into Group A with South Korea and the winner of the UEFA Path D play-off between the Czech Republic, the Republic of Ireland, Denmark, and North Macedonia.
Reflecting on the group, Nkota said: “I won’t say it’s easy teams; they’re all the best teams. For us, it’s to just go and prove ourselves, raise our hands up, and we will do better in the games.”
As the countdown to June 11 begins, the sense of déjà vu is impossible to ignore. But so too is the sense of opportunity. South Africa may once again be cast as the underdog on the grandest stage, yet Nkota’s ambition mirrors a wider belief within the squad: that they are not travelling to simply make up the numbers, but to write a new chapter of their own.
If Tshabalala’s strike defined a generation, Nkota and his teammates now have the chance to create the next moment that will echo across the footballing world.
IOL Sport