Who Is Julian Quinones? The Mexican Who Scored The First Goal Of The 2026 FIFA World Cup
He had not scored for Mexico in nearly two years and came in with two goals in 22 caps. Then the ninth minute arrived at the Azteca and Julian Quinones wrote his name into World Cup history.
The moment came in the ninth minute. South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams played a routine pass to midfielder Sphephelo Sithole, who failed to bring it under control. Erik Lira pressed instantly and won possession at the edge of the box. The ball dropped to Julian Quinones, who took one touch, drove inside and fired a low right-footed strike through Williams' legs and into the net. The Azteca erupted. The 2026 FIFA World Cup had its first goal, and a Colombia-born forward playing his club football in Saudi Arabia had just made World Cup history.
Who Julian Quinones Is
Born on March 24, 1997, in Magui Payan, Colombia, Quinones began his football journey with amateur club Futbol Paz in Cali, where he scored 50 goals in 38 games in the 2014-15 season. That remarkable return caught the attention of Mexican giants Tigres UANL, who recruited him to their under-20 setup. Despite impressive loan spells at Venados, Lobos BUAP and Atlas, he could not cement a permanent place at Tigres. He joined Atlas permanently after winning the Liga MX title with them on loan in the 2021-22 season, then added another league title the following year. He scored 36 goals and contributed 12 assists across 83 appearances for Atlas before Club America signed him in 2023.
He moved to Al Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2024 and had an extraordinary debut campaign, finishing as the Saudi Pro League's Golden Boot winner with 33 goals in the 2025-26 season. The form made him one of the most in-demand strikers in world football coming into the tournament.
The Goal and What It Means
Despite his club output, Quinones had struggled to translate form into goals for Mexico. He entered the tournament having scored twice in 22 international appearances, with his most recent Mexico goal coming in a 3-2 friendly loss to Brazil on June 8, 2024. The strike against South Africa ended a drought of nearly two years at international level and made him the 2,721st goalscorer in World Cup history.
It was also the fastest goal in a World Cup opening match since Philipp Lahm scored for Germany in the sixth minute against Costa Rica in 2006. The Azteca has hosted many historic moments. Thursday's ninth minute belongs to Julian Quinones.