South Africa captain Williams explains why we lost to Mexico in the 2026 World Cup

South Africa captain Ronwen Williams has urged his teammates not to lose faith in their World Cup campaign after a 2‑0 defeat to Mexico in the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday.

The Bafana Bafana squad faced a challenging evening at the packed Estadio Azteca, conceding an early goal to Julian Quinones before Raul Jiménez sealed victory for the hosts in the second half. South Africa also finished the match with nine men after Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane were dismissed.

Reflecting on the loss, Williams said the team’s plans were disrupted by the early breakthrough. “You don’t want to concede in the first 20 minutes, and that’s what exactly happened,” he said. “We wanted to sit up, the nerves, the anxiety, obviously, at this level, you make a mistake, they punish you.”

Despite the setback, the goalkeeper praised his teammates for their determination and fighting spirit. “We got into the game, put them on the break, but our final passes let us down,” he said. “There are lots of lessons to take, I am proud of the boys, the efforts, they didn’t stop, they kept fighting.”

Williams believes the team must quickly learn from their mistakes as they prepare for the rest of their Group A campaign. “Now is to analyse our mistakes, and not give up, there are still two games to play and we must believe,” he added.

The defeat leaves South Africa under pressure ahead of their next group‑stage fixture against Czechia, while Mexico moved to the top of Group A after a winning start on home soil.

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