Standings
| Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.🇲🇽 Mexico | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2.🇿🇦 South Africa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3.🇰🇷 South Korea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4.🇨🇿 Czechia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Top 2 qualify automatically. Best 8 third-placed teams also advance.
Team Profiles
Mexico co-host the tournament and carry the weight of an expectant nation. With the passionate home support at Estadio Azteca for the opener, El Tri will look to break their Round of 16 curse that has plagued them since 1986.
South Korea are led by the inspirational Son Heung-min in what may be his final World Cup. The Taeguk Warriors' tireless pressing and tactical discipline make them Asia's most consistent performers.
Czechia return to the World Cup for the first time since 2006. They beat Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, then Denmark on penalties (3-1) in the playoff final. Coach Ivan Hasek brings a young squad led by West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek.
Bafana Bafana return to the World Cup for the first time since hosting in 2010. Under Hugo Broos, they've rebuilt with young talent and a strong defensive structure that earned them an AFCON semifinal.
All Fixtures
Qualification Scenarios
The top 2 teams in Group A advance directly to the Round of 32. Additionally, the 8 best third-placed teams (from 12 groups) also qualify. This means a team could advance with as few as 3 points, or miss out with 4 — goal difference and head-to-head records become crucial tiebreakers.