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. That leaves the two winners level on three points ahead of what is shaping up to be the biggest game in the group, with the two nations meeting on June 18.

For Czechia and South Africa, Matchday 2 already looks close to must-win territory. Another defeat would leave either team on the brink of elimination, although the expanded 48-team format means some third-placed teams can still advance to the knockout stage.

Group A: results

Mexico 2-0 South Africa

South Korea 2-1 Czechia

Group A: standings

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

Group A: remaining games

• Czechia vs South Africa (June 18)
• Mexico vs South Korea (June 18)
• Mexico vs Czechia (June 24)
• South Korea vs South Africa (June 24)

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