The 2026 FIFA World Cup opened with two Group A matches that produced wins for Mexico and South Korea.
Mexico began their campaign with a 2–0 victory over South Africa in the tournament opener in Mexico City.
The hosts took control early, scoring the first goal through Julián Quiñones before Raúl Jiménez sealed the win in the second half.
The match was highly intense, featuring multiple red cards and a physically aggressive tempo, but Mexico managed to secure all three points in front of a home crowd.
In the same group, South Korea produced a strong comeback performance to defeat Czech Republic 2–1. After falling behind to a header from Ladislav Krejčí, Korea responded quickly with an equaliser from Hwang In-beom.
Substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu then completed the turnaround with the winning goal, giving South Korea a winning start to their World Cup campaign.
The result showed South Korea’s resilience, as they recovered from a first-half deficit and controlled key moments in the second half.
Czech Republic had chances to extend their lead but were punished for defensive lapses after Korea’s quick response.
With these results, Mexico and South Korea both top Group A after the opening round of matches, each collecting three points.
Czech Republic and South Africa remain without points and will need positive results in their next fixtures to stay in contention for qualification to the knockout stage.
