2026 Fifa World Cup | Group of death or group of opportunity? The fine margins awaiting Group A

Group A of the 2026 FIFA World Cup opens on Thursday with Mexico facing South Africa in a pool widely regarded as one of the toughest. Mexico, as co-hosts, are favorites with technical quality and attacking depth, but South Africa, South Korea and Czech Republic all have realistic knockout stage ambitions. Mexico's head coach Javier Aguirre and captain Edson Álvarez lead a team featuring key striker Santiago Giménez, while South Korea relies on captain Son Heung-min.