Bafana player ratings | Mbokazi held firm, most went into hiding in messy World Cup opener

When the whole world was watching, Bafana Bafana players went into hiding after losing their opening game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup 2-0 to Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on Thursday.

Goals from Julian Quinones and Raúl Jiménez saw co-hosts Mexico walk away with the three points.

The defeat sees Hugo Broos’ side sit at the bottom of Group A, with their remaining group-stage matches coming against Czechia (18 June) and South Korea (25 June).

FIRST TAKE | Broos’ loyalty exposes Bafana in loss of their own making against Mexico 

Red cards to Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane will put Bafana Bafana under strain for the rest of their campaign.

Broos deployed a 5-3-2 formation, indicating the team would be conservative in its approach.

The result of this formation, which did not feature the team’s attackers, was a lacklustre, sloppy and unacceptable performance at this stage.

Here’s how we rated the performance of Bafana Bafana players:

Ronwen Williams – 6

The Bafana Bafana skipper had an eventful opening ten minutes. He was on a high when he made a spectacular save from a Raul Jimenez shot. Moments later, he was picking the ball from the back of the net after Julian Quinones opened the scoring. Williams played a short pass to Sphephelo Sithole, who was mugged off the ball, which created an opening for a shot at goal. With his experience, Williams should have known that playing out from the back was risky at that point, as Mexico started like a house on fire in an electric atmosphere. Although he conceded again, Williams produced saves that kept the scoreboard respectable.

Nkosinathi Sibisi – 5

Sibisi had to deal with the dangerous Julian Quinones keeping the Bafana defence its toes. To his credit, Sibisi made important