Julian Quinones Scores First Goal of 2026 FIFA World Cup for Mexico

The 2026 FIFA World Cup commenced with a spectacular opening match as co-hosts Mexico defeated South Africa at the iconic Estadio Azteca Stadium on Friday. Mexican striker Julian Quinones etched his name in World Cup history by becoming the first goalscorer of the 2026 edition, joining an exclusive club of players who have achieved this feat.

Record-Breaking Goal

In the ninth minute, the 29-year-old forward capitalized on a defensive error, cutting in from the right and firing a low strike past South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams to open the scoring. This goal became the first in the history of the newly expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup format. According to FIFA data, it was the 2,721st goal in World Cup history, recorded across 965 matches.

Exclusive Club

By achieving this feat, the Colombian-born player joined an elite list that includes Philipp Lahm, Jurgen Klinsmann, and Pele — players who have written their names into history by scoring the first goal of a World Cup. The list began with Lucien Laurent of France, who scored the first goal in World Cup history in the inaugural 1930 edition.

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Fastest Opening Goal

Quinones also set a record for the fastest goal in a World Cup opening match. His ninth-minute strike became the third fastest opening goal, after Philipp Lahm's sixth-minute goal for Germany against Costa Rica in 2006 and Cesar Sampaio's fourth-minute goal for Brazil against Scotland in 1998.

Of all the players and teams who scored the opening goal of a World Cup edition, only Paul Breitner's West Germany in 1974 went on to win the entire tournament. Among goalscorers, Brazil's Marcelo is the only one with an unfortunate own goal to his name, which occurred in the 2014 edition when Brazil hosted Croatia in the opening match.