South African pundits stunned silent after team’s performance against Mexico

The World Cup did not get off to a hot start for South Africa on Thursday.

The 2010 World Cup host faced off against one of this year’s host nations, Mexico, to kick off the 2026 World Cup, and it was never a contest. From the jump, the Mexican team looked dominant, scoring in the ninth minute, then again in the 67th. South Africa never seriously threatened, and by the 84th minute, two of their players had been sent off after being shown red cards, creating an 11-on-9 situation.

Clearly, the performance did not meet expectations inside the country. In fact, a number of South African television pundits were stunned silent following the game.

Three analysts sat completely silent for nearly 15 seconds before the host chimed in.

“Okay. What do we say? What do we say? What went wrong in this game?”

Again, no answer from the analysts.

Was this a top-class troll job? Perhaps. The sh*t-eating grins on all of their faces might give the bit away just a touch. But nevertheless, bit or not, the reaction perfectly encapsulated the performance by South Africa. Nothing needed to be said. The team was wholly unprepared and showed no signs of life, just like this group of pundits.