The 2026 FIFA World Cup descends upon North America this summer. Football, soccer, or whatever you prefer to call the beautiful game, will kick off across three countries: Mexico, Canada and the United States.
Mexico learned their fate in the group stage months ago and have been preparing ever since to co-host the tournament. There is a lot of pressure to perform well in their own backyard, but Javier Aguirre and his coaching staff are more than prepared to make Mexican fans proud.
Here’s a guide on
Group A and what to look forward to as these four countries will fight for a chance to lift the World Cup trophy and call themselves the best in the world.
Here’s all the info you need in order to catch all the Group A action!
Group A info
- Mexico vs. South Africa – Mexico City Stadium – Mexico City, Mexico
- Thursday June 11, 2026 – 12PM PT/2PM CT/3PM ET
- Peacock, Telemundo, Fox One, Fox Sports App, Tubi, Prime Video USA, SlingTV, FuboTV
- Korea Republic vs. Czechia – Estadio Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
- Thursday June 11, 2026 – 7PM PT/9PM CT/10PM ET
- Peacock, Telemundo, Fox One, Fox Sports App, Fox Sports 1 USA, Prime Video USA, SlingTV, FuboTV
- Czechia vs. South Africa – Atlanta Stadium – Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Thursday June 18, 2026 – 9AM PT/11AM CT/12PM ET
- Peacock, Telemundo, Fox One, Fox Sports App, Fox Network, Prime Video USA, SlingTV, FuboTV
- Mexico vs. Korea Republic – Estadio Guadalajara – Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
- Thursday June 18, 2026 – 6PM PT/8PM CT/9PM ET
- Peacock, Telemundo, Fox One, Fox Sports, Fox Network, Prime Video USA, SlingTV, FuboTV
- Mexico vs. Czechia – Mexico City Stadium – Mexico City, Mexico
- Wednesday June 24, 2026 – 6PM PT/8PM CT/9PM ET
- Peacock, Telemundo, Fox One, Fox Sports, Fox Network, Prime Video USA, SlingTV, FuboTV
- South Africa vs. Korea Republic – Estadio Monterrey – Monterrey, Nuevo Léon, Mexico
- Wednesday June 24, 2026 – 6PM PT/8PM CT/9PM ET
- Peacock, Telemundo, Universo, Fox One, Fox Sports 1 USA, Fox Sports App, Prime Video USA, SlingTV, FuboTV
Game of the group
Many Mexican fans have the first game of the tournament versus South Africa as their game of the group. However, the most important game is the one against the Korea Republic.
Mexico will take on Korea in their second group stage match on June 18, 2026 at Estadio Guadalajara. What makes this game so significant is that this match will demonstrate just how much Mexico has changed, for better or worse. These two teams met just months ago in a September friendly in the United States. The two sides fought to a 2-2 draw after Mexico was able to net a last minute goal in injury time. With how the team played, there was a bitter taste left in many Mexicans fans’ mouths as the team had everything to win. They didn’t overly dominate the game, but they played well for a team that made multiple substitutions from the game a few days prior.
If Mexico wants to win they will need to take advantage of Korea’s defensive struggles. During the March window, Korea played two friendlies that ended in two losses after being outscored 5-0. Their biggest mistake was relying on a three-back when they don’t have the strength to do so. If a team elects to go for three in the back they have to make sure their defenders can handle it and Korea couldn’t do it over a span of 180 minutes.
Head coach Hong Myung-bo resorted to this defensive formation in order to have more flexibility in the attack, specifically with Son Heung-min. The issue was that Son also struggled and when he isn’t able to connect in the attack then Korea’s chances of a goal significantly diminishes. If Myung-bo wants to have a chance to defeat Mexico then it would be best to resort to a traditional four at the back. Yes, that means there’s less attackers up front but there’s no reason to weaken an already fragile defensive line. If he doesn’t make the necessary changes then the Mexican forwards should have no issue attacking the line and taking the win.
Predictions
1st Place – Mexico
First place is Mexico’s to lose. Historically, the host nation receives a relatively easier group stage compared to the rest of the competition. It’s not to say Korea, South Africa and Czechia won’t give Mexico problems, but passing the group stage and even winning it is expected for the host nation.
Unfortunately for Mexico, not a lot has changed since that last cycle. Some players have come and go, whether that’s due to retirement or declining play, but the core group of players hasn’t changed and that’s not always a good thing. It’s important to have a veteran presence, but with it should come a young batch of players who are ready to battle their teammates for a starting role. Thankfully some youngsters have already attracted the attention of Aguirre but now it’s about actually choosing to look forward not backwards. Regardless of who gets called-up or not, it is very simple for Mexico. Win the group.
2nd Place – Korea Republic
The Korea Republic will make it out of their group, it’s just a matter of where they will place. It will all come down to their head coach, Hong Myung-bo’s game plan. As stated, Myung-bo is set on a defensive game plan that does not play to the strength of the team. Myung-bo is set on having a three-back when their line isn’t built for that.
While they have a lot going against them, their biggest strength will be the teams unity in advancing far in the competition which more than likely will be Son Heung-min’s last World Cup and his teammates will want to get him far in the tournament. This goal alone will help the Korea Republic make it out of their group stage and possibly deep into the competition.
3rd Place – South Africa
South Africa will be returning to the World Cup after a 16-year absence. The last time they appeared in the tournament was when they hosted it back in 2010 where they failed to qualify for the knockout stage. This made them the first ever host nation to fail to make it out of the group stage. Now that they have re-emerged there will be a lot of pressure on them to succeed after a long drought. That in itself can either make them or break them.
Leading up to the World Cup, it has been a bag of mixed results for the African nation. Just in early January they were eliminated from the African Cup of Nations after losing to Cameroon in the Round of 16. Then the last two friendlies saw them lose one match and draw the other one. Even though it looks like the odds are against them, South Africa still has an opportunity to advance to the next round as this year the rules are a bit different.
Third-place teams will have the opportunity to make the knockout rounds as eight of the 12 third-place countries will move on if they meet certain criteria. This means that while they might not have the best odds to qualify directly for the Round of 32, South Africa still has a chance to advance even if they place third.
4th Place – Czechia
Czechia is one of the countries who qualified for the World Cup through the UEFA playoffs. They defeated Denmark in a penalty shootout to end a 20-year absence in the summer tournament. The last time they played the World Cup was in 2006, which was their first World Cup since the split between them and Slovakia. Since then it has been a difficult time for a team who once was a football giant.
They’ve struggled to replicate those results and this time around they qualified for the World Cup due to the number of teams expanding to 48. If not for the rule change, the team and fans would have to wait even longer for their reappearance. Due to these circumstances it will be a difficult time for the country to qualify for the knockout stage. However, this doesn’t mean they should be taken for granted.
