The 2026 World Cup is the biggest edition in the tournament’s history, as 48 nations are in Mexico, Canada and the United States to battle for football’s most coveted prize.
The 2026 World Cup group stage got underway on 11th June when co-hosts Mexico kicked off their campaign against South Africa at the iconic Estadio Azteca. With home advantage firmly in their corner, El Tri are expected to top Group A and have started on a bright note with victory on the opening day, while South Korea also followed suit.
Under the expanded 48-team format, third place may yet be enough to progress depending on the points accumulated across all groups, which adds a fascinating extra dimension to what already promises to be a fiercely contested section, leaving South Africa and Czech Republic with a lot to play for despite suffering opening day defeats.
MrFixitsTips runs the rule over all four teams, assessing their chances of survival and identifying the key players, fixtures and odds.
Which teams are in Group A of the 2026 World Cup?
Mexico
Current FIFA ranking: 15th
Mexico are appearing at their 18th World Cup and qualified automatically as co-hosts of the tournament alongside the United States and Canada. El Tri will hope home conditions can help them finally overcome their long-standing round-of-16 barrier.
Mexico’s best World Cup finishes came in 1970 and 1986, when they reached the quarter-finals on home soil, although the CONCACAF nation exited in the group stage of the 2022 edition after finishing behind Argentina and Poland.
The co-hosts started strongly by beating South Africa 2-0 in a match that saw two red cards for their opponents and one for themselves.
The lively Julian Quinones eventually bagged the reward for Mexico's high-intensity press when he finished beneath Ronwen Williams in the ninth minute after South Africa surrendered possession on the edge of their own box. That goal was the fastest opening strike at the tournament since Philipp Lahm scored in the sixth minute against Costa Rica in 2006.
Raul Jimenez then scored his first-ever World Cup goal in the 67th minute, heading home a fine cross from Roberto Alvarado. However, the victory came at a cost, as Cesar Montes was sent off deep into stoppage time.
Mexico strengthened their position further on matchday two with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over South Korea, securing qualification for the knockout rounds and moving to the brink of winning Group A.
They then completed a perfect group-stage campaign by defeating Czechia 3-0 on the final matchday, finishing with nine points from three matches and confirming top spot in emphatic fashion. Javier Aguirre's side conceded just once across the group stage and now advance to the Round of 32 full of confidence, where they will face Ecuador.
Manager and tactics
Javier Aguirre is leading Mexico at his third World Cup. His sides are typically organised, disciplined and difficult to break down. Mexico usually operate in either a 4-1-4-1 or 4-2-3-1 formation, pressing aggressively and relying on attacking width from the full-backs.
Key player
Raul Jimenez remains Mexico’s most experienced attacking threat and was on target against South Africa, heading home from a fine cross in the second half. The Fulham striker is expected to play a much larger role than he managed at previous World Cups, and he started on a bright note with his first ever goal in the competition's history.
Another key player is Quinones, who has continued his fine form from the recent Saudi Pro League season, netting twice during the group stage.
South Korea
Current FIFA ranking: 25th
South Korea secured qualification by finishing top of their group during the third round of AFC qualifying, extending their remarkable run of World Cup appearances to 11 consecutive editions.
The Taegeuk Warriors produced their best-ever performance in 2002 when they finished fourth as co-hosts alongside Japan, while they also reached the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
They opened this edition with a deserved 2-1 comeback victory over Czechia, inspired by In-Beom Hwang, who contributed a goal and an assist.
However, their momentum was halted by a narrow 1-0 defeat to Mexico on matchday two, leaving them needing a positive result in their final fixture.
Unfortunately for Hong Myung-bo's side, they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to South Africa in their final group match. Combined with Mexico's victory over Czechia, the result left South Korea third in the standings, missing out on the automatic qualification places and ultimately exiting the tournament.
It was a disappointing finish after such a promising start, with back-to-back defeats costing the Taegeuk Warriors a place in the Round of 32.
Manager and tactics
Hong Myung-bo moved towards a back-three system, being now more cautious than in previous years, prioritising defensive structure while looking to release their attacking players quickly in transition.
Key player
Now playing for Los Angeles FC in MLS, Son Heung-min was South Korea's biggest attacking threat heading into the tournament. The former Tottenham Hotspur captain is closing in on the national scoring record and still possesses the movement and finishing quality to decide tight matches.
Son enters the World Cup on 56 international goals, just two behind the 58 scored by Cha Bum-kun between 1972 and 1986. However, he failed to find the net throughout the tournament.
Czech Republic
Current FIFA ranking: 41st
This was the Czech Republic’s second World Cup appearance as an independent nation after their debut in 2006, where they were eliminated in the group stage.
Narodak booked their place at the 2026 finals through the UEFA play-offs, edging past Denmark after a tense qualifying campaign.
However, they endured a frustrating tournament throughout – after surrendering a lead in their opening 2-1 defeat to South Korea, Miroslav Koubek's side were held to a 1-1 draw by South Africa despite again taking the lead.
That left Czechia needing an upset against group leaders Mexico on the final matchday, but they were comprehensively beaten 3-0, ending the group stage with just one point from three matches.
The defeat condemned them to bottom place in Group A and an early exit from the tournament, as their inability to protect leads ultimately proved costly throughout the campaign.
Manager and tactics
Miroslav Koubek is currently the oldest manager at the tournament at 74 and took charge in December 2025 following Ivan Hasek’s departure. The Czechs generally line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation built around defensive organisation, wing-back width and quick transitions into Patrik Schick.
Key player
Patrik Schick was the focal point in attack heading into this tournament. The Bayer Leverkusen forward is a proven tournament performer whose aerial ability and penalty-box movement make him a constant threat. However, he failed to find the net during the tournament.
South Africa
Current FIFA ranking: 60th
South Africa returned to the World Cup for the first time since hosting the competition in 2010. Qualification represented a significant achievement and generated renewed optimism around the national team.
Their campaign began with a disappointing 2-0 defeat to co-hosts Mexico, conceding once in each half before finishing with nine men after red cards for Yaya Sithole and substitute Themba Zwane.
Bafana Bafana responded well on Matchday Two, battling to a 1-1 draw against Czechia to keep their qualification hopes alive heading into the final round of fixtures.
Needing a victory to stand any chance of progressing, Hugo Broos' side produced one of the biggest surprises of the group stage by defeating South Korea 1-0 on the final matchday.
The famous victory, combined with Mexico's win over Czechia, lifted South Africa into second place in Group A and secured a historic first qualification for the World Cup knockout rounds. They will now face Canada in the Round of 32 as they continue their remarkable campaign.
Manager and tactics
Hugo Broos has spent five years rebuilding the national side. South Africa generally operate in a compact 4-2-3-1 system, relying on defensive organisation and quick counter-attacks
Key player
Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams is arguably the most influential figure in the squad, although Burnley striker Lyle Foster provides their main attacking outlet.
2026 World Cup Group A fixtures and odds
Group A guide & predictions
Mexico were the clear favourites heading into the opening fixture against South Africa, as bookies had them at 1/2 while the Africans were priced at 9/2 – and the result odds were accurate given the result.
Meanwhile, Czech Republic (6/4) were slightly backed against South Korea (8/5) even though it was close, but the Europeans were the one that narrowly lost out to the Asians.
On matchday two, Czech Republic (4/5) were favourites, but not overwhelmingly so, with the draw (13/5) considered a realistic possibility. The market slightly overrated the Europeans, but a stalemate was not a major surprise given the prices, as South Africa (17/5) performed better than expected to earn a point.
Mexico (1/1) were narrow favourites and justified that status with a hard-fought victory. The match was competitive and the one-goal margin reflected the relatively close odds, but the bookmakers correctly identified Mexico as the most likely winner.
Mexico (23/20) entered the match against Czechia (21/10) as narrow favourites and lived up to that billing with a controlled victory. While the odds suggested a closely contested encounter, El Tri proved to be the better side and secured top spot in the group with a comfortable win.
South Korea (61/100) were strong favourites with an implied probability of around 62%, while South Africa (9/2) were considered clear outsiders. Instead, Bafana Bafana produced one of the biggest shocks of matchday three, securing a 1-0 victory to seal their place in the knockout stages.
2026 World Cup Group A group winner and who qualified
Group winner odds
Heading into the tournament, Mexico were expected to win this group and if proved to be so. However, the surprise came with South Africa who were expected to finish bottom of the group, only to claim second place ahead of the more fancied South Korea and Czechia.
Czech Republic and South Korea were very closely matched heading into the tournament, but they both faltered and even failed to pick up enough points to claim one of the best third-placed teams spot.
Confirmed finishing order
- Mexico
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Czech Republic
Adeyeye Oluwapelumi is a sports writer with more than four years’ experience covering football and other global sports. A lifelong Arsenal supporter since 2004, he writes with genuine passion and a sharp eye for the stories that shape the game.
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