World Cup 2026

World Cup 2026 Group A: standings, results, and who can qualify

Mexico is through, South Korea holds the inside track for second place, and the final round of Group A games still has plenty riding on it.

Paul Childs

Calum Roche

Managing Editor AS USA

Sports-lover turned journalist, born and bred in Scotland, with a passion for football (soccer). He’s also a keen follower of NFL, NBA, golf and tennis, among others, and always has an eye on the latest in science, tech and current affairs. As Managing Editor at AS USA, uses background in operations and marketing to drive improvements for reader satisfaction.

Update: Jun 19th, 2026 02:01 EDT

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El Tri became the first team from the group to secure a place in the round of 32 after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over South Korea in Guadalajara. Luis Romo scored the only goal of the game early in the second half, capitalizing on a goalkeeping error to send Mexico to six points from two games and guarantee top spot in the group.

World Cup 2026 Group A: standings, results, and who can qualify — Mexico fans celebrates with a replica world cup trophy after the match.Paul Childs

Earlier in the day, Czechia and South Africa played out a dramatic 1-1 draw in Atlanta. Michal Sadílek gave the Czechs the lead, but Teboho Mokoena converted a late penalty to rescue a point for Bafana Bafana and keep both teams alive heading into Matchday 3.

That leaves South Korea in second place on three points, with Czechia and South Africa both on one. The equation is simple: South Korea qualifies with a win over South Africa, while Czechia likely needs to upset already-qualified Mexico. A draw may be enough for the Koreans depending on the other result and goal difference, with tie-breaker rules potentially coming into play.

What happened in Group A Matchday 1?

Co-hosts Mexico opened the 2026 World Cup tournament – following a spectacular opening ceremony – with a 2-0 win over South Africa at the Estadio Azteca (a game that included three red cards), while South Korea came from behind to beat Czechia 2-1 in Guadalajara.

Group A: results

June 11: Mexico 2-0 South Africa
June 11: South Korea 2-1 Czechia
June 18: Czechia 1-1 South Africa
June 18: Mexico 1-0 South Korea

Group A: standings

After the second matchups in the group, the table looks like this:

Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Mexico	2	2	0	0	3	0	+3	6
South Korea	2	1	0	1	2	2	0	3
Czechia	2	0	1	1	2	3	-1	1
South Africa	2	0	1	1	1	3	-2	1

Group A: remaining games

Mexico vs Czechia (June 24)
South Korea vs South Africa (June 24)

Who can qualify from Group A?

Mexico: Already qualified and guaranteed to finish first in the group.
South Korea: Qualifies with a win over South Africa and remains favorite to finish second.
Czechia: Needs a result against Mexico and help elsewhere.
South Africa: Must beat South Korea to have a realistic chance of advancing.

Remember that the expanded 48-team format means some third-placed teams can still advance to the knockout stage.