The time has come for some teams to get back on the field at the 2026 World Cup, as Group A returns to action with Mexico and South Korea looking to seal their tickets to the next round. In the first half, imprecisions were everywhere from both teams as they went to halftime tied 0-0.
For Mexico, the debut in front of their fans was a huge moment of pressure, but they handled it the right way with a 2-0 win over South Africa. Still, they may need to polish a few things against a much stronger team.
South Korea got off to the right start as well, even if the match against Czechia saw them fall behind in the second half. With an entertaining brand of soccer, they scored twice to earn a 2-1 victory that put them one step away from the knockout rounds.
Second half begins
The second half begins.
Halftime
45+4' The first half comes to an end.
Added time
45' Four minutes of added time.
South Korea dominance
43' South Korea has been dominating possession for several minutes while Mexico sits back and waits.
Jeong Woo-yeong missed opportunity
40' Through ball for South Korea's Jeong Woo-yeong, but he runs out of angle and fires a poor left-footed shot wide from the left.
South Korea dominance
36' Possession now belongs to South Korea.
Both teams struggling
34' Misplaced passes and inaccuracies abound from both teams in the first half, making it difficult to generate any real action.
Group leadership secured
31' The winner of the match wins the group, regardless of what happens in the final fixture.
Match resumes
26' The match resumes.
Hydration break
23' The match stops for a hydration break for both Mexico and South Korea.
Quiñones dangerous header
19' Cross from the right by Roberto Alvarado for a header by Julian Quiñones, but the South Korean goalkeeper makes a great save to deny Mexico.
Son disallowed chance
15' Long pass for South Korea's Son Heungmin who lofts it over the goalkeeper but Edson Alvarez clears it with a bicycle kick when it was going in; the play was disallowed for offside.
Mexico high press
11' South Korea tries to build up from the back but Mexico presses well and forces them to play long.
Gutierrez weak shot
7' A good combination on the left leaves the ball to Brian Gutierrez who fires from long range for Mexico but it goes weakly into the goalkeeper's hands.
Alvarado long-range shot
6' Roberto Alvarado fires a shot from long distance for Mexico but it goes easily into the goalkeeper's hands.
Yellow card for Lee Kangin
3' Yellow card for South Korea's Lee Kangin.
Kickoff
The match Mexico vs South Korea begins.
The referees
The referees for this match are Gustavo Tejera (Uruguay - Referee), Carlos Barreiro (Uruguay - Assistant Referee), Nicolás Taran (Uruguay - Assistant Referee), Andrés Rojas (Colombia - Fourth Official), Alexander Guzmán (Colombia - Reserve Assistant Referee) and Leodan González (Uruguay - Video Assistant Referee).
South Korea's list
Mexico's list
Confirmed lineups
Mexico: Raúl Rangel; Jorge Sánchez, Edson Álvarez, Johan Vásquez, Jesús Gallardo; Luis Romo, Érik Lira, Brian Gutiérrez; Roberto Alvarado, Raúl Jiménez and Julián Quiñones.
South Korea: Kim Seung-Gyu; Lee Han-Beom, Kim Min-Jae, Lee Gi-Hyuk; Seol Young-Woo, Hwang In-Beom, Paik Seung-Ho, Kim Moon-Hwan; Lee Kang-In, Son Heung-Min, Lee Jae-Sung.
The history
Mexico and South Korea have faced each other twice in FIFA World Cup history, with Mexico securing a 3-1 victory on June 13, 1998, in France and later winning 2-1 on June 23, 2018, in Russia. Their most recent meeting overall came shortly before this tournament on September 6, 2025, when they played out a highly competitive 2-2 draw in a friendly.
Their group
The other teams in Group A have already played their second match, as Czechia and South Africa drew 1-1. That result left Mexico in first place with 3 points and a +2 goal differential, South Korea in second with 3 points and a +1 goal differential, Czechia in third with 1 point and a -1 goal differential, and South Africa in last place with 1 point and a -2 goal differential.
The stadium
The venue for this match is Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico. It has a capacity of 49,813.
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