Mexico
Best result: Quarter-finals, 17 appearances, 15th in World Ranking
Mexico will carry the weight of expectations as co-hosts of the tournament as they look to advance past the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time.
Handling the pressure in the group stages will be a big challenge and they will be desperate not to fail, but it will take something extraordinary for them not to get out of the group.
Roared on by passionate home support, if they can get a positive result first up against South Africa, they can gain the momentum they need to go deep into the tournament.
Path to the finals
Mexico qualified as co-hosts, so did not take part in the preliminaries and may therefore not be quite as battle-hardened as they would have hoped. They did win the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, though, beating the United States 2-1 in the final, so do have that tournament experience behind them.
They have not lost a competitive fixture since a 2-0 defeat to Honduras in the 2024 CONCACAF Nations League. Will they be undercooked? That could be a concern for coach Javier Aguirre.
Key player
Edson Álvarez will be a key man in midfield as he gets Mexico onto the front foot, but it is hard to look past experienced striker Raul Jimenez as the player they will rely on most. The 34-year-old will be tasked with scoring the goals to take them deep into the tournament and comes with 12 years of experience playing in Spain, Portugal and England.
He has scored 44 goals in 123 caps and many of them have come when the team has needed them most. He is a player for the big occasion and will not be overawed by the task facing the team.
Editor’s view
For many fans of an older generation, there is a romance around the Mexican side, a team that has had tremendous, world-class players in the past but has not been able to turn that into sustained success on the global stage.
Hugo Sánchez, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Javier Hernández, Jorge Campos and Rafael Márquez are just some of the names that have graced the shirt, but their passionate support has not had much to cheer about in World Cups since they made the quarter-finals on home soil in 1986.
Do they have the squad to do better this time round? Probably not, but they will entertain and know that, for most of them, this is the biggest tournament of their careers.
Flashscore prediction
Mexico should get out of the group, probably quite comfortably. They have the players to do it and their biggest concern will be letting the occasion get too big for them.
Tournament football is all about momentum, as Morocco showed at Qatar 2022, and if they can get on a roll, anything is possible. A quarter-final place is certainly on the cards; anything beyond that may be a surprise.
Fixtures
11 June, 20:00 BST: Mexico v South Africa – Mexico City Stadium
19 June, 02:00 BST: Mexico v South Korea – Guadalajara Stadium
25 June, 02:00 BST: Czech Republic v Mexico – Mexico City Stadium
South Africa
Best result: Group stages, 3 appearances, 60th in World Ranking
Bafana Bafana perhaps surprised even themselves in qualifying for the World Cup ahead of Nigeria and are back on the big stage under Belgian coach Hugo Broos for the first time since they were hosts in 2010.
It will be their fourth World Cup appearance, having suffered group-stage exits in 1998, 2002 and on home soil 16 years ago, but the new format, where the eight best third-placed teams advance to the round of 32, gives them hope.
Path to the finals
South Africa topped a qualification pool that also included Nigeria’s Super Eagles despite having three points deducted after being found guilty of fielding an ineligible player in the suspended Teboho Mokoena. That was an embarrassing gaffe, but on the pitch they followed the golden rule of any qualification campaign on the African continent – pick up away points.
They were helped by the fact that Lesotho and Zimbabwe both played their ‘home’ games in South Africa due to not having suitable stadia in their own countries. Bafana claimed six wins (before the result against Lesotho was overturned in the boardroom), three draws and a single defeat away to Rwanda. That left them a point ahead of Nigeria and Benin in the table.
Key player
Bafana will rely on several old heads in the side, including captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, but the man who really makes them tick is box-to-box midfielder Teboho Mokoena.
His work rate, ability on the ball, physical presence and knack for scoring goals, often spectacular ones, make him the stand-out performer. The 29-year-old Mamelodi Sundowns star has likely missed out on a chance to play in Europe, but he can show in this tournament why he deserves to be there.
Editor’s view
This tournament will be a major step up for Bafana compared to what they are used to. Before their two games against Panama in March and Nicaragua on Friday, they had faced only three teams from outside Africa in 11 years – Andorra (1-1), France (0-5) and Paraguay (1-1).
This generation, most of whom are home-based, have not been exposed to the different levels and styles that come with regular global competition. On their best days, Bafana are compact, structured and difficult to break down. They can be frustrating to play against.
Where the goals will come from is a key question. They are technically very good on the ball but can wilt physically against stronger opponents.
Flashscore prediction
It will be nervy and tight, but this Bafana side has enough to reach the round of 32. That is likely where it will end.
Fixtures
11 June, 20:00 BST: Mexico v South Africa – Mexico City Stadium
18 June, 20:00 BST: Czech Republic v South Africa – Atlanta Stadium
25 June, 02:00 CET: South Africa v South Korea – Monterrey Stadium
South Korea
Best result: Fourth place, 11 appearances, 25th in World Ranking
South Korea will long be remembered for their run to the semi-finals of the World Cup on home soil in 2002 when they co-hosted with Japan, knocking out Portugal in their final pool game, defeating Italy in controversial circumstances via golden goal in the round of 16, and then beating Spain on penalties before a last-four loss to Germany.
They have not gone beyond the round of 16 since and come into this tournament following a patch of rough form, including losses to Ivory Coast (0-4) and Austria (0-1) in March, and a 0-5 defeat to Brazil last October.
Path to the finals
South Korea had a relatively gentle run through qualifying, finishing top of Group B in the third round with 22 points from a possible 30. They managed that in early June last year, so have had 12 months to build toward these finals under coach Hong Myung-bo.
It is the 11th consecutive time they have qualified for the World Cup, with only a handful of teams in the 2026 field able to better that statistic. They went unbeaten through 10 group games against Jordan, Iraq, Oman, Palestine and Kuwait, winning six and scoring 20 goals.
Key player
Kang-in Lee has probably taken over from veteran Son Heung-min as the chief attacking threat and will be the architect of their creative play. He is coming off a strong season with Paris St-Germain with three goals and four assists in 18 Ligue 1 starts and will relish the big stage.
He is in his third season in Paris after five in Spain’s LaLiga and has been a stalwart for the national team since his debut in 2019, scoring 11 goals in 46 caps. Providing chances for Son to finish will be his major aim.
Editor’s view
It is hard to know what to make of South Korea. The best word might be “inconsistent”. They are hard to break down and do not generally concede many goals … until they do.
They play with energy and are technically excellent on the ball but may struggle physically in this tournament. They cannot go toe-to-toe with bigger sides in that respect and will instead need to play around them. How they handle a powerful Czech Republic side will be fascinating.
Flashscore prediction
South Korea qualified with ease but have struggled somewhat since. What shape they arrive in remains to be seen, but they could battle to get out of the group. Their key game is likely the last against South Africa, perhaps a battle to avoid finishing bottom.
Fixtures
12 June, 03:00 BST: South Korea v Czech Republic – Guadalajara Stadium
19 June, 02:00 BST: Mexico v South Korea – Guadalajara Stadium
25 June, 02:00 BST: South Africa v South Korea – Monterrey Stadium
Czech Republic
Best result: Runners-up, 10 appearances, 41st in World Ranking
The Czech Republic did not know until two months ago whether they would be at the World Cup, having had to earn their place the hard way through the European play-offs in late March.
They are back for a first appearance since 2006, when they disappointed and exited in the group stage. That is, in fact, their only World Cup since 1990, before the split with Slovakia. The country twice finished runners-up - in 1934 to Italy and in 1962 to Brazil.
Path to the finals
It was a long road. The Czechs finished runners-up in European qualifying Group L behind Croatia and just ahead of a game Faroe Islands side that managed 12 points from eight matches. Montenegro and Gibraltar were the other teams in the pool. A 5-1 loss to Croatia hurt, and they managed only a 0-0 draw at home, allowing Croatia to take control of the group.
They were also stunned by a surprise 2-1 defeat to the Faroes. In the play-offs, they needed a late goal from Ladislav Krejčí to earn a 2-2 draw with the Republic of Ireland before winning on penalties. That set up a final with Denmark, where they again came from behind twice to draw 2-2 and win on spot-kicks.
Key player
Patrik Schick will provide the main goal threat, but the ‘engine’ of the side and a leader on the pitch is Tomáš Souček. He must quickly get over the disappointment of Premier League relegation with West Ham United, but when in form, he can dictate play and will be a major threat against opponents who could struggle aerially.
Editor’s view
Another side that is hard to call because they rode their luck in qualifying, especially in the play-offs, but on paper look strong enough to get out of the group. They have also been battle-hardened by their recent fight to qualify and that mentality matters in tournament football.
A return to the global finals after 20 years is significant and now it is up to the players to rise to the occasion. In some respects, the pressure is off because their back-door entry means expectations are lower, but for veteran coach Miroslav Koubek and his players, this is the pinnacle.
Flashscore prediction
The Czech Republic may have stuttered through qualifying, but they possess qualities their group rivals may struggle to contain. Physicality, a direct style and aerial superiority give them a strong chance.
How they handle the technical quality of South Africa and South Korea is a question, but power should help them through. They are not expected to go deep into the knockout rounds.
Fixtures
12 June, 03:00 CET: South Korea v Czech Republic – Guadalajara Stadium
18 June, 20:00 CET: Czech Republic v South Africa – Atlanta Stadium
25 June, 02:00 CET: Czech Republic v Mexico – Mexico City Stadium