South Africa's World Cup opener against Mexico in Mexico City is a fixture that carries echoes of history, but Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has insisted his side are living firmly in the present and not dwelling on the past as they prepare to kick off the 2026 edition.
For the first time in World Cup history, the opening fixture will be a rematch of a previous tournament opener, as South Africa and Mexico renew hostilities 16 years after they kicked off the 2010 tournament together in Soccer City, Johannesburg.
This time Mexico will be hosts at the iconic Estadio Azteca on Thursday, while in 2010, it was Siphiwe Tshabalala's stunning left-footed strike that gave Bafana a 1-0 lead at home, and truly launched the first (and to date, only) World Cup to be held on African soil.
Even though South Africa went on to draw the game 1-1, Tshabalala's goal was the most iconic moment in the country's footballing history since their Africa Cup of Nations final triumph at the FNB Stadium in 1996.
"I don't think the team need that inspiration," Broos told ESPN on Wednesday.
"It was a great moment for South Africa, so long ago, but now it's 2026.
"We're playing tomorrow against Mexico, and the guys are excited enough, so we don't need to talk of that Tshabalala goal.
"It's a nice memory, and I have also my own nice memories of 40 years ago [as a player for Belgium at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico], they are very nice."
While South Africa ultimately failed to escape the group in 2010 -- becoming the first tournament hosts to fall at the first round -- Tshabalala's goal is remembered for its technical brilliance, its emotional release after the pent-up tensions and concerns about South Africa's hosting, and as a moment that 'announced' Africa at their own World Cup.
However, it proved to be a high watermark for the Rainbow Nation, as they failed to build on their encouraging performances in 2010 -- they also beat France in the group stage -- and missed out on the next three World Cups.
Their fortunes have changed since the arrival of Broos in 2021, with the 73-year-old -- who guided Cameroon to the Africa Cup of Nations title in 2017 -- overseeing a renaissance for the regional heavyweights.
"You know the history of Bafana," he continued. "In the last five years, we were playing in empty stadiums, but now the stadiums are full, more and more [people come to watch], month on month.
"The enthusiasm of people has increased, so people are now expecting us to win the World Cup already," he smiled.
"This is a little bit unrealistic, but we feel the warmth, we feel the support, even though there are thousands of kilometres between the two countries, we feel the warmth of South Africans.
"They can be sure that tomorrow they'll see a team they can be proud of."
For midfielder Teboho Mokoena, one of the figureheads of a generation of South African players who have finally ended their wait to return to the World Cup, Tshabalala's magic moment remains a memorable landmark in the distant past, with the team keen to write a new chapter this summer.
"We've not been talking about it much," the 29-year-old said. "I only remember the goal of Tshabalala [from the 2010 World Cup], because I was so young.
"So we haven't really been talking bout the 2010 World Cup, as a team we want to create our own history, and we know that our country has never gone to the knockout stages. "We don't have any pressure, the pressure is on Mexico as the hosts," he concluded.
"We're prepared for this game, and we're just looking forward to it now."