South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has urged his players to remain focused despite the prospect of facing a hostile crowd when they take on co-hosts Mexico in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday.

The Group A encounter will take place at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, where more than 85,000 home supporters are expected to back El Tri.

Broos, who played for Belgium at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, recalled the intimidating atmosphere at the stadium and challenged his team to block out the noise.

“There will be a big crowd and there will not be so much South African support,” the 74-year-old coach said.

“They will have 85,000 Mexicans shouting and singing. But we have to focus on our game. If we are not too influenced by the noise, then we can have a good game.”

The South African coach described Mexico as the strongest side in Group A and a major obstacle to his team’s hopes of reaching the knockout stages.

“I think they’ve won nearly all of their last 10 games. They’re the best team in the group,” Broos said.

“So tomorrow it will be a very tough game. We need to be at our best level, but I can assure you our team is ready to fight for every metre and every ball.”

Broos also expressed reservations about FIFA’s decision to expand the tournament to 48 teams, citing the demanding travel schedule teams now face.

South Africa are scheduled to play matches in multiple cities, including Atlanta and Monterrey, during the group stage.

“It’s a bit too big when you play with 48 countries,” he said.

“It’s more exhausting than the previous World Cup, but we have to accept it.”

Meanwhile, Mexico coach Javier Aguirre is hoping to end his country’s poor record in World Cup opening matches.

Despite featuring in seven previous tournament openers, Mexico have never won their first game of a World Cup campaign.

“We have to break the statistic,” Aguirre said.

“I didn’t know that fact; I’m going to share it with the players. It will be another source of motivation.”

For Aguirre, the tournament also carries personal significance, having represented Mexico as a player at the 1986 World Cup on home soil.

“Since I arrived 22 months ago, I have had no greater emotion than experiencing a World Cup at home again,” the 67-year-old coach said.

The match is expected to set the tone for both teams’ campaigns as they seek a strong start in the expanded global tournament.