Mexico will be hoping to make the most of home advantage as they headline a tricky Group A at the 2026 World Cup.
The full identity of the group sees the joint hosts joined by South Africa, Czech Republic and South Korea. Mexico remain the favourites to top the group, especially with all three of their matches landing on home soil.
World Cup 2026 Group A outright odds
Mexico Group A odds
Mexico will be under huge pressure to progress given their status as joint hosts, coupled with their favourable home advantage across all three group matches.
El Tri crashed out in the group stage at Qatar 2022, ending a run of seven straight round-of-16 exits at the World Cup. Home advantage could help, but if things go badly early on, it could turn uncomfortable very quickly.
The likes of Santiago Gimenez, Hirving Lozano and Edson Alvarez are among Mexico’s star names, not to mention Fulham veteran Raul Jimenez, who has enjoyed a resurgent 2025/26 season. But Javier Aguirre has recently capped the likes of Obed Vargas, Brian Gutierrez and Armando Gonzalez as he seeks to introduce new blood into the national team.
Czech Republic winner odds
Czech Republic pose a serious challenge to the other teams in the group, especially to Mexico at the summit of the Group A table after qualifying for the first World Cup in 20 years.
The Representatives beat out Denmark 3-1 on penalties after a tight 2-2 playoff final in Prague. It was truly a game of two halves as end-to-end action ensued in the first half, before the hosts faced a constant wave of attacks after the break.
Which Czech Republic side shows up at the finals is yet to be seen, however, if the playoffs have shown us anything it’s that they’re resilient and tactically flexible depending on the circumstances.
South Korea odds
South Korea are real dark horses at this World Cup and could pose the biggest threat to Mexico.
Son Heung-min is still the star of the team, but he’s backed up by a very impressive cast that includes PSG’s Lee Kang-in, Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich and Wolves’ Hwang Hee-chan.
South Korea made it to the round-of-16 in Qatar after back-to-back group exits, while they battled through two qualifying group stages for this tournament without suffering a single defeat.
South Africa odds
Back at the World Cup for the first time since they hosted in 2010 – this marking just their fourth FIFA World Cup appearance ever – this is also the first time South Africa have successfully ran the qualifying gauntlet since 2002.
Burnley’s Lyle Foster is their most notable name and has 10 goals in 24 caps so far. Meanwhile, Club Brugge youngster Shandre Campbell will hope to debut before the tournament, while FCSB’s Siyabonga Ngezana should hold down the defence.
South Africa will bring plenty of heart to this summer’s tournament, and finishing above Nigeria to top qualification Group C cannot be ignored. But their lack of true star power makes them favourites to finish bottom.
Group A top goalscorer options
While you can’t back the top goalscorer for goals within the group, you can back the competition top goalscorer and there are a few options available for Group A at the moment.
| Player | Bet365 Odds | BetMGM Odds | William Hill Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raul Jimenez | 100/1 | 40/1 | 100/1 |
| Hirving Lozano | 150/1 | N/A | 150/1 |
| Orbelin Pineda | 150/1 | N/A | 150/1 |
| Son Heung-min | 125/1 | 50/1 | 125/1 |
| Lee Kang-in | 150/1 | N/A | 150/1 |
| Hwang Hee-chan | 200/1 | N/A | 200/1 |
| Lyle Foster | 500/1 | 100/1 | 500/1 |
| Rasmus Hojlund | 100/1 | N/A | 100/1 |
READ MORE: Check all of the Top Goalscorer market odds here
World Cup 2026 Group A fixtures and results
World Cup 2026 Group A table
Read more:
