World Cup 2026 Group A draw: Match schedule and fixtures for hosts Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, UEFA Playoff D winner

Once considered the dominant force in CONCACAF and a rising power on the global football stage, Mexico have stagnated in recent decades. El Tri were eliminated from the World Cup in the Round of 16 for seven straight tournaments from 1994-2018. Only twice have they achieved a coveted quarterfinal place, and both of those were on home soil (1970, 1986).

Then, in 2022, the unthinkable happened: instead of taking that long-awaited step forward, they took a step back, eliminated from Qatar in the group stage. That threw the Mexican federation into turmoil, seeing the end of Tata Martino’s reign and starting a coaching carousel that chewed up and spit out Diego Cocca and Jaime Lozano. They finally settled on Javier Aguirre for his third stint in charge of the national team.

Aguirre has managed to stabilize the performances since his arrival, even re-integrating ousted star Hirving “Chucky” Lozano into the picture. Still, the national team will expect real progress in 2026, rather than another dud, or else further questions will be asked about the trajectory of the Mexican federation.

Current FIFA world ranking: 15thRegional ranking: 2nd (CONCACAF)World Cup titles: 0World Cup appearances (last): 17 (2022)How qualified: Automatically (host)Coach: Javier Aguirre (MEX) since July 2024Key player(s): Edson Alvarez (Fenerbahce), Hirving Lozano (San Diego FC), Raul Jimenez (Fulham)South Korea

The established modern-day powerhouses of the AFC confederation, South Korea hold the record for the most World Cup qualifications by any nation from Asia (12). However, since famously finishing fourth at their home tournament in 2002, the best they have managed is a place in the Round of 16; they were thrashed 4-1 by Brazil at this stage in Qatar in 2022.

Hong Myung-bo’s team dominated Group B of the AFC qualifying third round, securing their place in the group stage with time to spare. In the international breaks of late 2025, they beat Ghana, Bolivia, Paraguay and the USA without conceding a goal, while they also held Mexico to a 2-2 draw in Nashville. The only blot on their recent record was a 5-0 loss to Brazil at home in October.

Led by captain and all-time record appearance-maker Son Heung-min, South Korea have a handful of star names playing at Europe’s biggest clubs, including Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain, Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich, and Hwang Hee-chan of Wolves. Yet their wider player pool is a mix of youth and experience at a variety of clubs and countries, and their strength-in-depth does not match some of the stronger European and South American nations.

They will be targeting the knockout phase in North America, but progressing as far as the quarterfinals seems unlikely unless the bracket is kind to them. 

Current FIFA world ranking: 22ndRegional ranking: 3rd (AFC)World Cup titles: 0World Cup appearances (last): 11 (Qatar 2022)How qualified: AFC third round Group B winners: 6W-0L-4DCoach: Hong Myung-bo (since July 2024)Key player(s): Son Heung-min (LAFC), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich)South Africa

Nigeria’s misery was South Africa’s success, as they qualified over the Super Eagles to reach the 2026 World Cup.

Head coach Hugo Broos, in his position for the entire 2026 cycle, has developed a strong national-team setup based almost entirely on players from the domestic South African league, with a heavy continent of stars from the country’s biggest clubs, Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates.

After becoming the first World Cup host to be knocked out in the group stage in 2010, South Africa will be seeking redemption from 16 years ago —when they fell agonizingly short, eliminated on goal differential behind Uruguay and Mexico.

Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams rose to prominence at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, when he saved a whopping four penalties in the quarterfinal shootout against Cape Verde, winning the tournament’s Best Goalkeeper award for his heroics.

Current FIFA world ranking: 61Regional ranking: 11th (CAF)World Cup titles: 0World Cup appearances (last): 3 (2010)How qualified: 1st, CAF qualifying Group C: 5W-3L-2DCoach: Hugo Broos (Belgium) since May 2021Key player(s): Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns), Lyle Foster (Burnley), TebohoMokoena (Mamelodi Sundowns)UEFA playoff Path D winners

Path D of the UEFA playoffs consists of Denmark, North Macedonia, Czechia and Republic of Ireland.

Denmark, who lost that dramatic deciding game to Scotland to miss out on automatic qualification, host North Macedonia in their semifinal; Czechia will welcome the Republic of Ireland for theirs. The winners of the Path D final will be playing at the World Cup.

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Here’s a look at the odds for each Group A team to win the group, qualify for the Round of 32 and win the World Cup title, according to DraftKings.

TeamGroup WinnerTo QualifyWin TitleMexico+130 +8000South Africa+1000 +50000South Korea+225 +15000Denmark/North Macedonia/Czechia/Republic of IrelandTBD TBD

This section will be updated as group odds are released.

WORLD CUP DRAW BREAKDOWNS:

Whichever team wins Group A will move onto the knockout stage and play the third-place finisher from one of Groups C, E, F, H, and I. Additionally, the Group A runner up will move on to play the Group B runner up in the first game of the knockout rounds.

The team that finishes third in Group A isn’t guaranteed to play in the next stage, as only eight groups will have a third-place finisher move on. If the third team in Group A does earn a spot in the Round of 32, it will play either the Group E winner or the Group G winner.

Round of 32DateMatchLocationSun, Jun. 28M1: 2nd, Group A vs. 2nd, Group BSoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)Mon, Jun. 29M2: 1st, Group E vs. 3rd place finisherGillette Stadium (Foxboro, MA)Mon, Jun. 29M3: 1st, Group F vs. 2nd, Group CEstadio BBVA (Guadalupe, MEX)Mon, Jun. 29M4: 1st, Group C vs. 2nd, Group FNRG Stadium (Houston, TX)Tue, Jun. 30M5: 1st, Group I vs. 3rd place finisherMetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)Tue, Jun. 30M6: 2nd, Group E vs. 2nd, Group IAT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)Tue, Jun. 30M7: 1st, Group A vs. 3rd place finisherEstadio Azteca (Mexico City, MEX)Wed, Jul. 1M8: 1st, Group L vs. 3rd place finisherMercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)Wed, Jul. 1M9: 1st, Group D vs. 3rd place finisherLevi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, CA)Wed, Jul. 1M10: 1st, Group G vs. 3rd place finisherLumen Field (Seattle, WA)Thu, Jul. 2M11: 2nd, Group K vs. 2nd, Group LBMO Field (Toronto, CAN)Thu, Jul. 2M12: 1st, Group H vs. 2nd, Group JSoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)Thu, Jul. 2M13: 1st, Group B vs. 3rd place finisherBC Place (Vancouver, CAN)Fri, Jul. 3M14: 1st, Group J vs. 2nd, Group HHard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL)Fri, Jul. 3M15: 1st, Group K vs. 3rd place finisherArrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)Fr, Jul. 3M16: 2nd, Group D vs. 2nd, Group GAT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)Round of 16DateMatchLocationSat, Jul. 4M1: Winner, R32 M2 vs. Winner, R32 M5Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA)Sat, Jul. 4M2: Winner, R32 M1 vs. Winner, R32 M3NRG Stadium (Houston, TX)Sun, Jul. 5M3: Winner, R32 M4 vs. Winner, R32 M6MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)Sun, Jul. 5M4: Winner, R32 M7 vs. Winner, R32 M8Estadio Azteca (Mexico City, MEX)Mon, Jul. 6M5: Winner, R32 M11 vs. Winner, R32 M12AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)Mon, Jul. 6M6: Winner, R32 M9 vs. Winner, R32 M10Lumen Field (Seattle, WA)Tue, Jul. 7M7: Winner, R32 M14 vs. Winner, R32 M16Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)Tue, Jul. 7M8: Winner, R32 M13 vs. Winner, R32 M15BC Place (Vancouver, CAN)QuarterfinalsDateMatchLocationThu, Jul. 9QF1: Winner, R16 M1 vs. Winner, R16 M2Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, MA)Fri, Jul. 10QF2: Winner, R16 M5 vs. Winner, R16 M6SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)Sat, Jul. 11QF3: Winner, R16 M3 vs. Winner, R16 M4Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL)Sat, Jul. 11QF4: Winner, R16 M7 vs. Winner, R16 M8Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)SemifinalsDateMatchLocationTue, Jul. 14SF1: Winner, QF1 vs. Winner, QF2AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)Wed, Jul. 15SF2: Winner, QF3 vs. Winner, QF4Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)Third-place matchDateMatchLocationSat, Jul. 18Loser, SF1 vs. Loser, SF2Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL)FinalDateMatchLocationSun, Jul. 19Winner, SF1 vs. Winner, SF2MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)

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