The group opens with an incredible rematch; where the 2010 World Cup opened with South Africa as hosts against Mexico 16 years later, the draw gods have offered the same fixture, in reverse, at Mexico City! It is Bafana Bafana’s first tournament since the one they hosted.
Mexico
How they qualified:
Simple. As co-hosts, Mexico automatically qualified alongside the United States and Canada.
World Cup history:
Eliminated in the group stage four years ago, Mexico enjoyed consecutive Round-of-16 trips between 1994 and 2018.
The CONCACAF powerhouse have never progressed beyond the quarter-finals, having twice reached the last eight in 1970 and 1986.
The coach:
Javier Aguirre is in his third stint in charge of El Tri.
The 67-year-old first led Mexico in 2001-02 and returned in 2009-10. Across those two spells, Aguirre guided Mexico to the Round of 16 in 2002 and 2010.
A 59-cap international as a player, Aguirre was re-appointed in 2024 with a clear succession plan for former captain Rafael Marquez – currently assistant – to take over following the World Cup.
The star:
Mexico have quality across the pitch – from captain Edson Alvarez to AC Milan striker Santiago Gimenez, despite his tough 2025-26 at club level and 17-year-old phenomenon Gilberto Mora. There is also iconic goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, who is set to appear at his record-equalling sixth World Cup.
But it is Raul Jimenez who stands out for various reasons. His resilience typifies this Mexico team under Aguirre. The 35-year-old Fulham striker has endured significant physical battles; in November 2020 he suffered a life-threatening skull fracture and traumatic brain bleed following a head clash with David Luiz during a Premier League fixture.
Before the 2022 World Cup, the 123-time international – who is third on Mexico’s all-time goalscoring list – had other issues too.
“It was very difficult, because it started in 2019 … I played from September or October 2019 with pubalgia,” he told Claro Sports. “One night I woke up in a lot of pain … I practically couldn’t walk…. After everything I had gone through, for someone to tell me: ‘You can’t,’ it was impossible for me to accept it.”
Jimenez is still a key part of Aguirre’s plans.
The story:
How will Mexico fare as World Cup co-hosts? This is a football-mad nation who have high expectations. That will only be amplified with a World Cup on home soil.
Ranked 15th in the world, El Tri will be expected to progress to the Round of 16 as a minimum. But don’t expect it to be pretty.
“At a World Cup, the team that plays the prettiest football does not always win. The team that knows how to compete does,” Aguirre said previously.
South Africa
How they qualified:
The lowest-ranked nation in Group A, South Africa clinched their World Cup berth as winners of Group C in CAF qualifying. Bafana Bafana finished ahead of rivals Nigeria to return to the global stage for the first time in 16 years.
World Cup history:
South Africa are appearing at their third World Cup, and they have never progressed beyond the group stage. Hosts in 2010, Bafana Bafana were banned from 1970 until 1990 due to the government’s strict apartheid policies. FIFA initially suspended South Africa in 1961, reinstated them in 1963, and then formally expelled them in 1976. The ban was in place until apartheid ended and South Africa was readmitted to FIFA in 1992, with their first qualification campaign ahead of the 1994 showpiece.
The coach:
The Hugo Broos impact is clear.
Under their Belgian head coach, South Africa have transformed themselves from a timid footballing nation who struggled to qualify for major tournaments, to one that has reached three in a row, when you also consider the 2023 and 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
After winning AFCON with Cameroon in 2017, the 74-year-old led South Africa to third three years ago.
Now Broos, who has also coached the likes of Trabzonspor in Turkiye and Club Brugge, Anderlecht and Genk in his homeland, is preparing for his swansong after announcing his retirement following this year’s World Cup.
The star:
South Africa’s squad is made up of largely domestic-based players, including captain Teboho Mokoena. While Bafana Bafana’s strength is the sum of their parts, Mokoena stands out.
The 29-year-old Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder – who has amassed 50 caps and scored nine goals – provides the link between defence and attack. He is also a threat set-pieces.
The story:
Bafana Bafana are back at the World Cup. After almost two decades, the South Africans will test themselves on the biggest stages.
South Africa made everyone smile when they host the 2010 tournament – putting African football on the map, although the emergence of the vuvuzela was not as memorable for some. But they failed to qualify in 2014, 2018 and 2022.
Now, they are back and given what they endured to get to this point, it is a celebration in itself. During qualifying, an administrative error resulted in South Africa forfeiting a match against Lesotho that they had won 2-0. They inadvertently fielded the suspended Teboho Mokoena in the fixture and were docked three points. It lead to a nervous wait until the group concluded.
“It will be a very good experience for our team,” Broos said. “It’s something we need, to play against such teams. We will learn a lot and then we will see. In football anything is possible. We will fight like we have done in recent years.”
South Korea
How they qualified:
South Korea advanced to their 11th consecutive World Cup, and 12th overall, following a convincing 2-0 victory against 10-man Iraq in June. They made it through the fourth round of qualifying unbeaten.
World Cup history:
South Korea, who first featured at the 1954 World Cup, have appeared at every single tournament between 1986 until now. The two-time Asian champions were semi-finalists in 2002, while they reached the last 16 in 2010 and 2022.
The coach:
Widely considered one of the greatest Asian defenders of all-time, Hong Myung-bo stepped into the South Korean hot seat in 2024 following Jurgen Klinsmann’s exit.
A 136-cap South Korean legend – who became the first Asian to receive the Bronze Ball at the 2002 World Cup following the nation’s semi-final run, Hong is in the midst of his second spell in charge of the national team.
The 57-year-old briefly led the nation in 2013-14 before resigning following a winless 2014 World Cup campaign.
The star:
Who can step up for South Korea to help Son Heung-Min? Son is the poster boy of South Korean football, and he has been for quite some time. He has lived up to the considerable height.
But he is now 33 years old and based in MLS with Los Angeles FC. So, heading into his fourth World Cup, the former Tottenham star can’t be expected to shoulder the burden of a nation.
This is where Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-In enters the fray. He has won Ligue 1 titles and the UEFA Champions League with PSG. Aged 25, now is the time to deliver in a team also boasting Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae and Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan.
The story:
There is no shortage of drama as South Korea enter their 11th consecutive World Cup. Why? Well it seems to be a delicate situation in the national team.
It stems from quotes made by assistant coach Joao Arouco in Portuguese media. In an interview with ‘Bola na Rede’, he claimed the Korea Football Association had intended to present head coach Hong Myung-bo as the “face of the team” while entrusting actual training and overall tactics to Arouco.
Those comments led to Tokyo Sports in Japan labelling the South Korea head coach a “puppet”.
Czechia
How they qualified:
Czechia needed a dramatic penalty shootout to punch their ticket to the World Cup, defeating Denmark 3-1 on spot-kicks after a chaotic 2-2 draw in the UEFA play-offs. After 20 years away, the Czechs are back in the World Cup.
World Cup history:
Before this year, Czechia had not graced the world stage since 2006, where they were eliminated in the group stage. They do have history in the World Cup, however.
As Czechoslovakia, they were runners-up in 1934 and 1962. They were also quarter-finalists in 1938 and 1990. After changing to Czech Republic following the 1994 World Cup, the country have not made it out of the group stage. This year marks the first as Czechia.
The coach:
Meet experienced head coach Miroslav Koubek. Before Dick Advocaat – four years older – returned to lead Curacao at the World Cup, the 74-year-old was set to become the oldest coach at a World Cup.
Until his 50s, Koubek was coaching the lower leagues of Czech football before eventually progressing to lead local giants Slavia Prague and Viktoria Plzen.
Koubek, who took over last year, has galvanised the group and continues to get the best out of an experienced squad.
The star:
Czechia have an array of proven talent. From West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek, to Wolves defender Ladislav Krejci and Vladimir Coufal. Then there is also 17-year-old sensation Hugo Sochurek.
But you can’t help but think Czechia’s hopes rest on talisman Patrik Schick. The 30-year-old Bayer Leverkusen frontman has 25 goals in 52 international appearances.
He also scored five goals in UEFA qualifying and bagged 16 goals in the 2025-26 Bundesliga campaign.
The story:
Czechia are in the midst of a revival but it hasn’t been completely smooth.
Soucek was stripped of the captaincy in March following a dispute. The West Ham midfielder was among players who failed to acknowledge active supporters after a 6-0 rout of Gibraltar in November last year. As collective disciplinary action, the Czech FA withheld match bonuses and permanently stripped Soucek of his leadership, with Krejci taking the armband.
“The behaviour of the players overshadowed both the display on the pitch and the significant achievement of reaching the playoffs for the 2026 World Cup,” the FA said in a statement. “No player stands above the country they represent, nor above the fan who spends their money, time, and energy supporting the national team. Supporters are fully entitled to voice their dissatisfaction with recent poor performances.”
“They ought to have acknowledged the active fans, not only for their backing last night but for their long and tireless support throughout the entire qualifying campaign, despite a run of unconvincing results.”
Fixtures
Mexico v South Africa – Mexico City, June 12 (AEST)
South Korea v Czechia – Guadalajara, June 12 (AEST)
Czechia v South Africa – Atlanta, June 19 (AEST)
Mexico v Korea Republic – Guadalajara, June 19 (AEST)
Czechia v Mexico – Mexico City, June 25 (AEST)
South Africa v Korea Republic – Monterrey, June 25 (AEST)