Group A of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place from June 11 to 24, 2026.[1] The group consists of Mexico (co-host), South Africa, South Korea, and Czechia. The top two teams, possibly along with the third-placed team, will advance to the round of 32.[2]
Teams
| Draw position | Team | Pot | Confederation | Method of qualification | Date of qualification | Finals appearance | Last appearance | Previous best performance | FIFA Rankings[3] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2025[nb 1] | June 2026 | |||||||||
| A1 | 1 | CONCACAF | Co-host | February 14, 2023[nb 2] | 18th | 2022 | Quarter-finals (1970, 1986) | 15 | ||
| A2 | 3 | CAF | CAF Group C winner | October 14, 2025 | 4th | 2010 | Group stage (1998, 2002, 2010) | 61 | ||
| A3 | 2 | AFC | AFC third round Group B winner | June 5, 2025 | 12th | 2022 | Fourth place (2002) | 22 | ||
| A4 | [nb 3] | 4[nb 4] | UEFA | UEFA second round Path D winner | March 31, 2026 | 10th | 2006 | Runner-up (1934, 1962) | 44[nb 4] | |
Notes
- ^ The rankings of November 2025 were used for seeding for the final draw.[12]
- ^ Although the United bid was selected on June 13, 2018, the automatic berths allocated to the hosts were not confirmed until a decision by the FIFA Council on February 14, 2023.[13]
- ^ The Czech Republic competed between 1919 and 1992 as Czechoslovakia. FIFA considers Czech Republic and Slovakia to be joint successors of Czechoslovakia.
- ^ As the identity of the UEFA second round Path D winner was not known at the time of the final draw, positions in the FIFA Rankings were not taken into account, and the placeholder in the draw was automatically seeded into pot 4.[12]
Standings
In the round of 32:[2]
- The winner of Group A will advance to play the third-placed team of Group C, Group E, Group F, Group H, or Group I.
- The runner-up of Group A will advance to play the runner-up of Group B.
- The third-placed team of Group A might advance to play the winner of Group E or Group G (if one of the eight best third-placed teams from the group stage).
Matches
All times listed are local.[1]
Mexico vs South Africa
The two teams have faced each other four times, most recently in a 1–1 draw in the 2010 FIFA World Cup opening match, with South Africa as the host nation.[4][5] This match coincidentally will take place exactly 16 years after.
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South Korea vs Czech Republic
The teams have played three times, most recently in a 2016 friendly, a 2–1 victory for the South Koreans.[6] <section begin=A2 /><section end=A2 />
Czech Republic vs South Africa
The teams have only played each other in the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup, where the teams drew 2–2.[7] <section begin=A3 /><section end=A3 />
Mexico vs South Korea
The sides have previously met 15 times including twice in the World Cup, with Mexico winning both matches: 3–1 in the 1998 tournament in France, and 2–1 in the 2018 edition in Russia. Their most recent meeting was a 2–2 draw in 2025.[8][9]
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Czech Republic vs Mexico
The teams only played each other once in 2000, a 2–1 win for the Czechs.[10] Czech Republic predecessor country Czechoslovakia played Mexico at the 1962 World Cup in a game in which Czechoslovakia scored after just 15 seconds, the second fastest goal in World Cup history, however Mexico came back to win 3–1.[11] <section begin=A5 /><section end=A5 />
South Africa vs South Korea
This will be the first time these two teams meet.
<section begin=A6 /><section end=A6 />
Discipline
The team conduct ("fair play") score will be used as a tiebreaker if the head-to-head and overall records of teams are tied. It will also be used as a tiebreaker for the third-place ranking between groups if the overall records of teams are tied. The score will be calculated based on yellow and red cards received by players and team officials in all group matches as follows:[2]
- yellow card: −1 point;
- indirect red card (second yellow card): −3 points;
- direct red card: −4 points;
- yellow card and direct red card: −5 points;
Only one of the above deductions can be applied to a player or team official in a single match.
| Team | Match 1 | Match 2 | Match 3 | Score | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | |||||||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||
References
- ^ "FIFA World Cup 26 – Match Schedule". FIFA. February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
- ^ "FIFA World Cup 2026 Regulations". FIFA. May 2025. Archived June 23, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. November 19, 2025. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
- ^ "Mexico national football team: record v South Africa". 11v11.com. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ^ "Mexico vs. South Africa Head-to-Head in the World Cups". thesoccerworldcups.com. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ^ "Czech Republic national football team: record v Korea Republic". www.11v11.com
- ^ "Czech Republic national football team: record v South Africa". www.11v11.com
- ^ "Mexico national football team: record v South Korea". 11v11.com. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ^ "Mexico vs. South Korea Head-to-Head in the World Cups". thesoccerworldcups.com. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ^ "Czech Republic national football team: record v Mexico". www.11v11.com
- ^ "Mexico national football team: record v Czechoslovakia". www.11v11.com
- ^ "Draw Procedures for the FIFA World Cup 2026". FIFA. November 25, 2025. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ^ "FIFA Council highlights record breaking revenue in football". FIFA. February 14, 2023. Archived February 14, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 14, 2023.