In the opening match of the 2026 World Cup, the first withdrawal in 32 years was recorded

The opening match of the 2026 World Cup between was marked by a rare statistical event. In the 50th minute of the match, the referee showed a straight red card to the South African midfielder Sphefelo Sithole, leaving his team in the minority. Thus, in the opening match of the World Cup, for the first time in 32 years, a football player was sent off. The last time such a case happened was at the World Cup in 1994, when Bolivian Marco Etcheverry received a red card in a match between the German and Bolivian national teams. There were a total of three suspensions in the Mexico-South Africa match: in addition to Sithole, Themba Zwane (South Africa) and Cesar Montes (Mexico) received red cards.