Mexico defeats South Africa in World Cup opener as Julián Quiñones scores, drawing record US viewership

Colombian‑born forward Julián Quiñones, now a Mexico international, opened the scoring in the 2026 FIFA World Cup opening match. He netted in the ninth minute as Mexico beat South Africa 2–0, launching the tournament with a decisive victory.

The match set unprecedented television audience figures in the United States. Broadcast in English on Fox, Fox One and Tubi attracted a total of 7.1 million viewers, while Spanish‑language coverage on Telemundo and Peacock reached 12.1 million. Peaks of 9.1 million (English) and 15.9 million (U.S. match versus Paraguay) underscored the event as the most‑watched World Cup game ever in both languages, marking a new benchmark for sports broadcasting in the country.