Many Nigerians and citizens of other African countries threw their support behind Mexico during the 2026 FIFA World Cup opening match against South Africa on Thursday, amid lingering tensions over xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa.
Videos circulating on social media showed groups of Nigerian football fans attending the tournament dressed in Mexican colours and traditional regalia as they cheered the North American side during the match.
African fans also took to their social media pages to claim Mexican names for themselves in solidarity with the Mexican national team.
The show of support comes against the backdrop of recurring tensions involving foreign nationals living in South Africa. In recent years, there have been reports of attacks on African migrants and business owners by some South African citizens, who accused foreigners of contributing to crime and unemployment in the country.
While South African authorities and protest groups have maintained that their campaigns were targeted at undocumented migrants, critics have alleged that documented African nationals and legal migrants have also faced harassment, intimidation and attacks on their homes and businesses.
The issue has sparked diplomatic concerns and public outrage across several African countries, including Nigeria, where previous incidents of xenophobic violence triggered calls for stronger protection of foreign nationals residing in South Africa.
During the World Cup encounter, many fans appeared to channel their frustrations through football, openly backing Mexico against South Africa.
Mexico eventually secured a 2-0 victory over South Africa, a result that was celebrated by many of the supporters captured in the viral videos.
