Why aren’t Guillermo Ochoa and Santiago Gimenez starting for Mexico vs South Africa in the 2026 World Cup opening game?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off this Thursday at Estadio Azteca with Mexico taking on South Africa. The hosts will be without two of their biggest stars in the starting XI, as head coach Javier Aguirre has opted to leave Guillermo Ochoa and Santiago Gimenez on the bench.

Following the opening ceremony, the official lineups for both teams were announced ahead of the tournament opener. Among Mexico’s starting eleven, the absence of Ochoa stood out, as he will not begin the World Cup as the team’s first-choice goalkeeper.

Instead, Raul Rangel will get the nod, a decision that comes as little surprise considering he started Mexico’s last eight friendlies during the team’s preparation for the FIFA tournament. As a result, Ochoa and Carlos Acevedo will serve as backup goalkeepers.

Ochoa still reaches a World Cup record

Even though he is not part of Mexico’s starting lineup, Guillermo Ochoa will still achieve a FIFA World Cup milestone on Thursday while sitting on the bench—one that no other player has reached before in the tournament’s history.

Ochoa is the first player ever to be part of six different FIFA World Cup editions. His first experience came at Germany 2006, and he has been included in every Mexico squad at the tournament ever since.

In the coming days, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will match that mark, though with one key difference: the stars of Argentina and Portugal have played matches in all six of their World Cup appearances and, barring any unforeseen issues, will do so again this summer. Ochoa, meanwhile, was an unused substitute in both 2006 and 2010 and appears likely to remain without minutes in 2026 as well.

Santiago Gimenez awaits his opportunity off the bench

Just like Guillermo Ochoa, Santiago Gimenez will begin the 2026 World Cup among the substitutes and will have to wait for his opportunity to make an impact in the FIFA tournament. The 25-year-old striker appears to have fallen behind Raul Jimenez in Aguirre’s pecking order, with the veteran forward earning the starting role on Thursday.

The 2025-26 season was a difficult one for Gimenez. He managed just 18 appearances for AC Milan due to physical setbacks, recording one goal and three assists across Serie A, Coppa Italia, and the Supercoppa Italiana. That lack of playing time also affected his standing at the international level, allowing Raul Jimenez to move ahead of him in the battle for the starting spot.