Two former Manchester United stars have gone viral for their stunned reaction to South Africa’s disastrous performance against Mexico in the 2026 World Cup opener. Co-hosts Mexico kicked off the tournament with a 2-0 win over South Africa on Thursday night, a chaotic game which saw three players sent off.
Disastrous Start for Bafana Bafana
Bafana Bafana’s performance was widely panned, with goalkeeper Ronwen Williams and midfielder Yaya Sithole’s attempts to play out from the back directly leading to Julián Quiñones’ opening goal. Sithole later picked up the first red card of the World Cup for bringing down Brian Gutierrez as he was through on goal, before Themba Zwane was controversially dismissed for slapping Roberto Alvarado.
Overall, it was a night to forget for South Africa, who never looked like scoring, and the muted reaction of three of their former players said it all. Appearing as pundits on Sporty TV, former Premier League stars Quinton Fortune, Aaron Mokoena and Benni McCarthy sat in stunned silence at full-time. As the camera cut to each one in turn, none could put into words what they had just witnessed – despite that literally being their jobs.
Pundits Speechless
Former Blackburn Rovers and Portsmouth star Mokoena appeared on the verge of tears, while Fortune, a Premier League title winner with United, simply looked up at the ceiling in disbelief. Sensing the awkwardness, the presenter leading the coverage attempted to spark conversation, saying: ‘Okay. What do we say? What went wrong in this game?’ But further silence followed, with ex-West Ham striker McCarthy, who was also part of Erik ten Hag’s coaching staff at United, simply raising his eyebrows and looked bemused.
We may be just two days into the 2026 World Cup but there have already been several awkward moments in the TV studios, with ITV presenter Semra Hunter mistaking Sweden’s manager with Gareth Southgate.
Looking Ahead
South Africa will be hoping to get their fans (and pundits) cheering again in their next Group A game against the Czech Republic, which takes place next Thursday evening in Atlanta. ‘There are seven days and these guys are professionals,’ Bafana Bafana manager Hugo Broos said post-match. ‘If you can’t recuperate in seven days, that will be a bit ridiculous. I don’t think that will be a problem. We need the next two days to get over the disappointment and the fatigue. From Saturday and Sunday, the guys will be ready again for training and we also have to work on our offensive game because it was not enough today.’
