2026 FIFA World Cup - Group A is Here
Group A opens the 2026 FIFA World Cup today, June 11, with one of the tournament's most intriguing brackets. Co-host Mexico plays in front of a roaring home crowd, South Korea brings one of the world's best wingers, South Africa makes a long-awaited return to the world stage, and Czechia arrives as a dangerous dark horse. Two of these four teams advance. Here's your complete guide to every country in Group A, plus the players we're watching closely.
Mexico
El Tri are playing at home, and in Mexico, that means absolutely everything. The atmosphere at Estadio Azteca will be unlike anything else at this World Cup, and the players know the opportunity in front of them. Mexico has the technical quality and attacking firepower to advance deep into the knockout rounds, and their Group A draw gives them a genuine path to do it.
Star players to watch: Raul Jimenez leads the attack with the experience of someone who has spent years proving himself in the Premier League. Santiago Gimenez has become one of the most clinical strikers in European football and arrives in peak form. Hirving "Chucky" Lozano provides pace and creativity on the wing that can unlock any defense.
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2026 Team Mexico World Cup Soccer Plaque 8x10 - Gimenez, Jimenez & Alvarez
South Korea
South Korea bring their signature pressing intensity and tactical discipline to Group A. This is a team that is never easy to break down, always dangerous on the counter, and capable of grinding out results against better-resourced opponents. With one of the world's elite attackers leading them, the Taeguk Warriors are a genuine threat to advance.
Star player to watch: Son Heung-min is the engine of everything South Korea does going forward. The Tottenham captain is one of the most complete wide forwards in world football, with the finishing ability to change a game in a single moment. If Korea advances, it will be largely on the back of what he produces.
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South Africa
Bafana Bafana are back on the World Cup stage for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2010, and they arrive with genuine belief after a strong qualifying campaign. South Africa plays with energy and structure, and their return to the world stage after a 16-year absence is one of the feel-good stories of this tournament.
Star player to watch: Percy Tau is South Africa's most technically gifted attacker, a quick and creative winger who has sharpened his game playing at the highest club levels on the continent. If Bafana Bafana are going to steal points from the bigger names in Group A, Tau will be central to how they do it.
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Czechia
Czechia are a gritty, well-organized side that nobody in Group A will enjoy playing against. They qualified with defensive solidity and the ability to punish opponents on the break, and their experience across Europe's top leagues gives them the quality to nick results from anyone. Don't count them out for a surprise.
Star player to watch: Patrik Schick is one of the most composed strikers in European football, with the ability to score with both feet and his head from nearly any angle inside the box. Tomas Soucek adds a physical, box-to-box midfield presence that anchors the team in both directions. When both are on form, Czechia is a different team entirely.
Browse all Czechia 2026 World Cup plaques: Czechia - 2026 FIFA World Cup Collection
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