The 2026 World Cup got underway on Thursday night as all four teams played and look to be in the final positions already.
Group A’s tournament opener will be remembered for more controversial reasons after referee Wilton Sampaio brandished three red cards – two for South Africa and another for Mexico.
South Korea and Czech Republic then faced off a few hours later and played a surprisingly entertaining second half after a rather dull first 45 minutes.
The second round of fixtures had just as much drama. South Africa left it late to rescue a point against Czech Republic, keeping their qualification dreams alive as a result.
Mexico then became the first nation to advance to the Round of 32 when they beat South Korea 1-0.
World Cup 2026 Group A outright odds
Mexico Group A odds
Mexico opened their tournament account in simple fashion, scoring two goals, keeping a clean sheet, and barely breaking a sweat to earn all three points.
They were then able to follow that up with a 1-0 win over South Korea to assure themselves of a place in the Round of 32.
Whilst they have qualified, they haven’t yet secured their place as Group A winners. It looks like a formality, though, and this is reflected in their odds of 1/2 to top the group.
Czech Republic winner odds
Czech Republic don’t pose a serious enough challenge to the other teams in the group. Especially after two disappointing performances against South Korea and South Africa.
The Representatives now can’t win the group but still stand a chance of qualifying as one of the third-placed teams or in second place if they beat Mexico in their final game.
South Korea odds
South Korea were viewed as real dark horses heading into this World Cup. That looked a good shout following their first game, where they beat Czech Republic.
They weren’t able to follow that up with a win against co-hosts Mexico, however. They lost 1-0 and still need a result in their final game in Group A to advance.
That being said, they remain in a good position. A win against South Africa would see them qualify for the Round of 32, while a victory there coupled with a Mexican loss against Czech Republic could see South Korea top the group. You can get odds of 14/1 for that to happen.
South Africa odds
South Africa made the worst possible start to their first finals appearance for 16 years. They conceded two goals, failed to offer any real threat going forward themselves, and were reduced to nine men by the final whistle.
They showed resolve in their second game, though. They scored late on against Czech Republic to secure a point in a 1-1 draw and kept their hopes of qualification alive as a result.
They can’t top Group A but a win over South Korea, paired with a Mexico victory over Czech Republic, would see Bafana Bafana finish in second. A third-place finish looks more likely, though.
World Cup 2026 Group A fixtures and results
World Cup 2026 Group A table
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