The fate of Group A at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, whose matches were hosted in Mexico, has been decided. Mexico and South Africa secured qualification for the knockout stage.
At Mexico City Stadium, Mexico defeated the Czechia 3-0 to maintain their perfect record in the group.
Mateo Chávez opened the scoring for El Tri in the 55th minute, before Julián Quiñones doubled the lead six minutes later in the 61st minute to seal the victory. Álvaro Fidalgo added a third goal in stoppage time (90+4), putting the finishing touch on another convincing victory for Mexico.
Meanwhile, at Monterrey Stadium, South Korea suffered a surprising 1-0 defeat to South Africa.
Thapelo Maseko scored the decisive goal for Bafana Bafana in the 63rd minute, earning a crucial victory that secured South Africa’s place in the next round.
In the final Group A standings, Mexico finished top of the table with nine points, becoming the first team in the tournament to achieve a perfect nine-point haul. South Africa claimed second place with four points and advanced to the knockout stage. South Korea finished third with three points and must wait to see whether results in other groups will keep their hopes alive. The Czechia, with just one point, were eliminated from the competition.
