Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, we go through every group in the expanded 48-country field and examine the teams, highlight the most recent odds, and make predictions.
First up is Group A, headlined by Mexico, which is hosting the World Cup for a record third time alongside the US and Canada. The home team will be joined by South Korea, Czechia, and South Africa to form one of the most evenly-matched groups at the World Cup.
Co-hosts Mexico are the clear favorites in Group A at the best World Cup betting sites. Manager Javier Aguirre’s side not only has the advantage of playing on home soil, but they are coming off an impressive Gold Cup victory in 2025. While this Mexico team isn’t as strong as in years past, they should be able to comfortably live up to expectations as the team to beat in this group.
How far they can go beyond that remains the big question, though. In the 2022 World Cup, Mexico saw its streak of eight straight Round of 16 appearances snapped as it failed to advance out of the group stage. The experience of Aguirre – who is leading the team for the third time – and the core trio of center backs César Montes and Johan Vásquez and holding midfielder Edson Álvarez should be enough to get to the Round of 32 this time.
But where will the goals come from, especially against the better teams? Raúl Jiménez will lead the line once again. The veteran is still finding the back of the net consistently, with 9 goals for Fulham this season and three during the Gold Cup run. But he’s 35 years old, and others need to step up. One to watch is 17-year-old Gilberto Mora. The youngster brings much-needed creativity to Mexico’s midfield.
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South Korea waltzed its way to World Cup qualification, going on an unbeaten run to book a place in the tournament for an 11th straight time. South Korea’s 2002 run to the semi-finals remains one of the best underdog stories in World Cup history. While Hong Myung-bo’s side isn’t expected to make that kind of impact this time, they should be Mexico’s biggest threat thanks to their blend of top talent, experience, and youth.
When discussing South Korea’s team, you still have to start with Son Heung-min. South Korea’s iconic captain and most-capped player is set to play in his fourth – and likely final – World Cup. Son hasn’t been in good goal-scoring form for LAFC, but he still leads the MLS in assists. PSG Winger Lee Kang-In is South Korea’s other key man up front.
Korea’s form hasn’t been good entering the tournament, with a 4-0 loss to the Ivory Coast and a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Austria. Hong has been criticized by fans of late for an overly conservative approach. But South Korea, even if too reliant on Son and Lee, should still make life difficult for Mexico in Group A.
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Czechia might have been the last team in Group A to secure its World Cup spot, but they will be far from an easy game for anyone. The country is playing in its first World Cup since 2006, so there is extra motivation to make an impact. Manager Miroslav Koubek has only been in charge since last December, but he guided the team through the World Cup playoffs and has a wealth of experience.
The key player for Czechia is easily Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick. Schick has 25 goals in 52 international appearances and enters the World Cup in top form after scoring 16 times in the Bundesliga this season. Midfield maestro Pavel Šulc should pull the strings for Czechia, giving the physical team some more subtle flair to their attacks.
Czechia will still rely on the imposing nature of players like Schick, Tomáš Chorý, and Tomáš Souček, feeding them cross after cross until opposing defenses finally break. A lack of depth beyond its starting XI could lead to struggles for Czechia in the group stage, especially if any key players suffer injuries. But with the confidence of its playoff success, Czechia should be a real threat for the Round of 32.
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The final team in Group A is South Africa, which is playing in its first World Cup since hosting the tournament back in 2010. The team’s qualifying campaign can be summed up in one word: inconsistency. You never knew what to expect from Hugo Broos’ team. We don’t have to wait long to find out this time, though, as South Africa will play in the first game of the World Cup against Mexico on June 11.
Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams is the main man for South Africa, and Burnley striker Lyle Foster will be known to Premier League fans. Mbekezeli Mbokazi is another name to watch, as the 20-year-old center back has become a key figure for the Chicago Fire in the MLS.
While South Africa is clearly the bottom team of Group A, Broos’ formation fluidity and the overall cohesion of a squad he has helped develop mean they could pull a surprise or two in North America.
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Group A is one of the harder groups to predict. The home pressure might be too much for Mexico, and Czechia and South Korea are both primed to take advantage. But they’ve looked strong in the build-up to the World Cup and will be used to the conditions of the tournament. We see Mexico just beating out its top two competitors to earn the top spot in the group.
Czechia is our pick for second place in Group A, riding proven talents like Schick and Šulc despite the team’s overall lack of talent. South Korea’s poor run leading up to the World Cup means they’re the clear third team for us, but still not under serious threat from South Africa for a third-place qualification spot.
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Odds are courtesy of BetMGM and accurate at the time of writing.
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