2026 FIFA World Cup Group A

Last updated

Group A of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place from June 11 to 24, 2026. [1] The group consists of Mexico (co-host), South Africa, South Korea, and the UEFA second round Path D winner. The top two teams, possibly along with the third-placed team, will advance to the round of 32. [2]

Contents

Teams

Draw positionTeamPotConfederationMethod of
qualification		Date of
qualification		Finals
appearance		Last
appearance		Previous best
performance		 FIFA Rankings [3]
November 2025 [nb 1] June 2026
A1Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 1 CONCACAF Co-hostFebruary 14, 2023 [nb 2] 18th 2022 Quarter-finals (1970, 1986)15
A2Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 3 CAF CAF Group C winnerOctober 14, 20254th 2010 Group stage (1998, 2002, 2010)61
A3Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 2 AFC AFC third round Group B winnerJune 5, 202512th 2022 Fourth place (2002)22
A4Flag of None.svg UEFA Path D winner4 [nb 3] UEFA UEFA second round Path D winnerMarch 31, 2026 [nb 3]

Notes

  1. ↑ The rankings of November 2025 were used for seeding for the final draw. [4]
  2. ↑ Although the United bid was selected on June 13, 2018, the automatic berths allocated to the hosts were not confirmed until a decision by the FIFA Council on February 14, 2023. [5]
  3. 1 2 As the identity of the UEFA second round Path D winner was not known at the time of the final draw, positions in the FIFA Rankings were not taken into account, and the placeholder in the draw was automatically seeded into pot 4. [4]

Standings

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico (H)00000000Advance to knockout stage
2Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 00000000
3Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 00000000Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4Flag of None.svg UEFA Path D winner [a] 00000000
First match(es) will be played: June 11, 2026. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. ↑ The winner of UEFA playoff Path D will be Denmark, Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland, or North Macedonia.

In the round of 32: [2]

Matches

All times listed are local. [1]

Mexico vs South Africa

The two teams have faced each other four times, most recently in a 1–1 draw in the 2010 FIFA World Cup opening match, with South Africa as the host nation. [6] [7] This match will take place exactly 16 years after.

Mexico  Flag of Mexico.svgMatch 1Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Estadio Azteca, Mexico City

South Korea vs UEFA Path D winner

South Korea  Flag of South Korea.svgMatch 2Flag of None.svg UEFA Path D winner
Estadio Akron, Zapopan

UEFA Path D winner vs South Africa

UEFA Path D winner Flag of None.svgMatch 25Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

Mexico vs South Korea

The sides have previously met 15 times including twice in the World Cup, as Mexico won both matches: 3–1 in the 1998 tournament in France, and 2–1 in the 2018 edition in Russia. Their most recent meeting was a 2–2 draw in 2025. [8] [9]

Mexico  Flag of Mexico.svgMatch 28Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
Estadio Akron, Zapopan

UEFA Path D winner vs Mexico

UEFA Path D winner Flag of None.svgMatch 53Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico
Estadio Azteca, Mexico City

South Africa vs South Korea

The two sides have never met before.

South Africa  Flag of South Africa.svgMatch 54Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe

Discipline

The team conduct ("fair play") score will be used as a tiebreaker if the head-to-head and overall records of teams are tied. It will also be used as a tiebreaker for the third-place ranking between groups if the overall records of teams are tied. The score will be calculated based on yellow and red cards received by players and team officials in all group matches as follows: [2]

Only one of the above deductions can be applied to a player or team official in a single match.

TeamMatch 1Match 2Match 3Score
Yellow card.svgYellow card.svg Yellow-red card.svgRed card.svgYellow card.svg Red card.svgYellow card.svgYellow card.svg Yellow-red card.svgRed card.svgYellow card.svg Red card.svgYellow card.svgYellow card.svg Yellow-red card.svgRed card.svgYellow card.svg Red card.svg
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 0
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 0
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 0
Flag of None.svg UEFA Path D winner0

References

  1. 1 2 "FIFA World Cup 26 – Match Schedule" (PDF). FIFA. February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 "FIFA World Cup 2026 Regulations" (PDF). FIFA. May 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 23, 2025. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  3. ↑ "FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. November 19, 2025. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Draw Procedures for the FIFA World Cup 2026" (PDF). FIFA. November 25, 2025. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
  5. ↑ "FIFA Council highlights record breaking revenue in football". FIFA. February 14, 2023. Archived from the original on February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Mexico national football team: record v South Africa". 11v11.com. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Mexico vs. South Africa Head-to-Head in the World Cups". thesoccerworldcups.com. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Mexico national football team: record v South Korea". 11v11.com. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Mexico vs. South Korea Head-to-Head in the World Cups". thesoccerworldcups.com. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
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