The moment has nearly arrived for the highly-anticipated FIFA Soccer World Cup to kick off, and for all Bafana Bafana supporters, there is even more reason to be excited as South Africa are first in action against Mexico on Thursday.
It is a game that will have millions of fans around the world glued to their screens as Bafana Bafana tackle co-hosts Mexico in a repeat of the 2010 opener.
This clash kicks off at 21:00 (SA time), but there are lots of other fixtures to look forward to in the opening week of the tournament.
From an African perspective, the battles between Senegal and France, as well as Egypt against Belgium, will certainly be big drawcards, and of course Morocco against Brazil.
The contest between England and Croatia will also be watched with keen interest.
Here all the kick off times and fixtures for the first week of the World Cup
| Date | Match | Venue | Kick-off (SAST) |
| Thursday, June 11 | Mexico vs. South Africa | Mexico City Stadium | 21:00 |
| Friday, June 12 | South Korea vs. Czech Republic | Estadio Guadalajara | 04:00 |
| Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina | Toronto Stadium | 21:00 | |
| Saturday, June 13 | United States vs. Paraguay | Los Angeles Stadium | 03:00 |
| Qatar vs. Switzerland | San Francisco Bay Area Stadium | 21:00 | |
| Sunday, June 14 | Brazil vs. Morocco | New York New Jersey Stadium | 00:00 |
| Haiti vs. Scotland | Boston Stadium | 03:00 | |
| Australia vs. Türkiye | BC Place (Vancouver) | 06:00 | |
| Germany vs. Curaçao | Houston Stadium | 19:00 | |
| Netherlands vs. Japan | Dallas Stadium | 22:00 | |
| Monday, June 15 | Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador | Philadelphia Stadium | 01:00 |
| Sweden vs. Tunisia | Estadio Monterrey | 04:00 | |
| Spain vs. Cabo Verde | Atlanta Stadium | 18:00 | |
| Belgium vs. Egypt | Seattle Stadium | 21:00 | |
| Tuesday, June 16 | Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay | Hard Rock Stadium (Miami) | 00:00 |
| Iran vs. New Zealand | Los Angeles Stadium | 03:00 | |
| France vs. Senegal | New York New Jersey Stadium | 21:00 | |
| Wednesday, June 17 | Iraq vs. Norway | Boston Stadium | 00:00 |
| Argentina vs. Algeria | Kansas City Stadium | 03:00 | |
| Austria vs. Jordan | San Francisco Bay Area Stadium | 06:00 | |
| Portugal vs. DR Congo | Houston Stadium | 17:00 | |
| England vs. Croatia | Dallas Stadium | 20:00 | |
| Ghana vs. Panama | Toronto Stadium | 23:00 | |
| Thursday, June 18 | Uzbekistan vs. Colombia | Mexico City Stadium | 02:00 |
Bafana Bafana ready for battle
Coach Hugo Broos said the South African senior men’s national team is looking forward to soaking up the inimitable experience that awaits the team on Thursday.
“You know, it will be a special and fantastic experience for us because my players have never played in this kind of situation before,” the coach said.
“So it will be very important for us to stick to the game plan and not listen to what is happening in the stands. We all know that there will be thousands of Mexicans inside the stadium and maybe a few South Africans.”
Broos said while the small number of travelling South Africans will be outnumbered at Estadio Azteca, Bafana Bafana can still count on the millions of supporters that will provide support from back home.
“We know that we have the support of the nation and we felt it in the last few days, and last week when we started the preparations (for the World Cup) in South Africa. All of South Africa is supporting us. This is something we have to remember on Thursday when the game starts, that we are playing for our nation. We are playing for all those people who believe in us.”
