Co-hosts Mexico have become first to qualify for the Round of 32 stages of FIFA World Cup 2026 after topping Group A with a 1-0 win over South Korea.
Updated: June 19, 2026, 10:31 AM IST
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Mexico’s Luis Romo (left) celebrates after scoring against South Korea in Group A match of FIFA World Cup 2026 on Thursday. (Image: FIFA)
Mexico vs South Korea FIFA World Cup 2026 Group A: A whopping 48 nations are competing in the FIFA World Cup 2026 for the first time ever and co-hosts Mexico have now emerged as the first of those teams to book their berth in the Round of 32 after their 1-0 Group A win over South Korea at the Estadio Akron in Guadlajara on Thursday night.
Mexicans have managed to book their place in the second round after missing out in the last edition in Qatar when they failed to get out of the group stages. Mexico have now notched up their second-successive win on home soil in the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Luis Romo scored the only goal in the contest in the 50th minute after South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu collided with defender Lee Gi-hyuk and dropped the ball inside the penalty area. Romo pounced on it and found the vacant net.
The South Koreans nearly managed an equaliser in the 87th minute when Mexico goalkeeper Raul Rangel managed to clear a header from close range by Cho Gue-sung. Rangel then went even better with a save of Yang Hyun-jun’s attempt on the rebound, extending his right arm to keep the ball out of the goal post.
“We’ve been doing very well. It wasn’t a great match, but I think that our opponent didn’t let us do too much. But we still were able to score, on that mistake, in addition to another two or three opportunities,” Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said.
Aguirre was pleased that the home side have managed guarantee a place in the second round early. “It relieves some of the pressure. But not for me, for the players. They are euphoric, they are very happy,” the Mexican coach added.
Mexico have topped Group A with six points in two matches, three more than South Korea and five more than the Czech Republic and South Africa, who drew 1-1 earlier on Thursday in Atlanta.
The top two teams from each group move on to the Round of 32 stages – which are knockouts – along with the best eight third-place teams. A round of 32 is being played for the first time at the FIFA World Cup after the tournament was expanded to 48 teams.
Co-hosts Mexico began their campaign in FIFA World Cup 2026 with a 2-0 win over South Africa, while South Korea battled for a 2-1 victory over the Czechs. Mexico’s final Group A clash will be on Wednesday against the Czech Republic in Mexico City, while South Korea takes on South Africa in Monterrey.
Mexico had never won a World Cup game on home soil outside Mexico City. Before 2026, all but one of their nine World Cup matches at home – between 1970 and 1986 tournaments – had been played at Estadio Azteca, with five wins and three draws. When it played in Toluca in 1970, it lost 4-1 to Italy in the quarterfinals.
Mexico, ranked 13th, were eliminated in the Group Stage at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. The early exit had come after seven straight eliminations in the round of the 16.
South Korea star Son Heung-min had another disappointing game and was substituted out in the 57th. The 33-year-old Son is looking to become South Korea’s top goal scorer at the World Cup and the Asian player with the most goals in the tournament. The former Tottenham star, currently with Los Angeles FC, entered with three goals over three prior World Cups.
South Korea, ranked 22nd, are making their 11th straight World Cup appearance and 12th overall – the most by any Asian country. Their best result was a fourth-place finish at the tournament it co-hosted with Japan in 2002. Since then, the South Koreans have never gone beyond the round of 16.
“The mistake that we made was unfortunate,” coach Hong Myung-bo was quoted as saying by AP news agency.
(How to watch and stream FIFA World Cup 2026 in India: Multiple group-stage matches that will take place simultaneously will be aired across Zee5 app and website. Link: https://www.zee5.com/)
