Who are Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez, Mexico’s opening match scorers?

Nine minutes into the opening game of the World Cup 2026, the host nation found a reason to celebrate as Julian Quinones scored the opening goal of the tournament to give Mexico the lead against South Africa.

The iconic Azteca Stadium in Mexico City turned into a cauldron of noise and celebration when Quinones earned the honour of becoming the opening goal scorer of the World Cup in front of adoring home fans on Thursday.

The partisan crowd was given another chance to celebrate when veteran striker Raul Jimenez added the second goal in the 67th minute as Mexico broke the opening-day curse with a 2-0 win over the 2010 hosts in a thrilling encounter.

Here’s everything to know about Mexico’s two goal scorers:

Julian Quinones

The 29-year-old forward was born and raised in Colombia, where he played for the country’s youth and international teams but never at the senior level.

Since 2016, Quinones has played club football in Mexico, and he gained citizenship in his adopted country in 2023, paving the way for him to represent it in international football as well. It only took a month for Quinones to receive a call-up to the national side, and the striker has not looked back.

Playing for Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah, whom he joined in 2024 for a reported $16m, Quinones earned a name in the national outfit.

He has now joined some of the most famous names in football’s history, including Pele, as the man to open the scoring in a World Cup.

Quinones was the man of the moment in the first half of the opening game of the World Cup 2026 [Yuri Cortez/AFP]

Raul Jimenez

The veteran forward was visibly emotional as he celebrated his first-ever World Cup goal – with a header – in the 67th minute – and there’s a reason for it.

Jimenez’s goal was also the symbol of a remarkable comeback after recovering from a near-fatal skull fracture he sustained in a collision with David Luiz in a 2020 match while playing for the Wolverhampton Wanderers. Since then, he’s had to wear protective headgear at every match.