Hosts South Africa were held to a 1-1 draw by Mexico in the opening World Cup game as close to 85,000 fans packed in at Soccer City on Friday.

A stunning goal from Siphiwe Tshabalala almost gave hosts South Africa the perfect start to the World Cup before they were held to a 1-1 draw in front of almost 85,000 fans at Soccer City on Friday.

Siphiwe Tshabalala cracker that flew past Mexican goalkeeper Oscar Perez on 55 minutes set the tone for the hugely entertaining opening match in Group A on an emotional first day of the first World Cup staged in Africa.

Mexico, who had started brighter, equalized after 79 minutes when Rafael Marquez capitalized on some poor defending and picked his spot to score.

With time almost up, Katlego Mphela almost won the game for South Africa when he hit the post at the end to cap a game filled with thrills and spoils.