Mexico City (Sports Desk) In the opening match of the 2026 World Cup organized by the global football federation, a unique record was set, where a total of three red cards were shown. In the opening contest, host Mexico defeated South Africa by two goals to zero. During the match, the referee took strict action and showed red cards to two South African players and one Mexican player, making it the first time in World Cup history that three red cards were issued in an opening match. It is worth noting that in World Cup history, there have previously been seven instances in which three or more red cards were shown in a single match; however, the biggest record was set in the 2006 World Cup when four red cards were shown in the match between Portugal and the Netherlands.
