WC 2026 Group A Guide: Squads and Fixtures

The 2026 World Cup Group A brings together four national teams from four different continents under the leadership of host Mexico. The opening match to be played at the historic Estadio Azteca holds great importance as the official start time of the tournament. The matches of the group consisting of Mexico, South Africa, South Korea and Czechia will be played in three different Mexican cities and the US city of Atlanta. The most experienced team of the group Mexico enters the tournament again as the host with its 18th World Cup participation, while South Africa takes place on the big stage for the first time since the 2010 hosting. Czechia, on the other hand, joins the groups for the first time after the 2006 World Cup, while South Korea again stands out with its experienced squad.

Team Profiles and Announced Squads

🇲🇽 Mexico (Manager: Javier Aguirre) El Tri is hosting for the third time with its 18th World Cup participation. Aguirre is managing his third Mexico national team period and led the team to the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup championships. Hirving Lozano was not included in the squad due to disciplinary reasons; Henry Martín, Luis Ángel Malagón and Rodrigo Huescas were left out due to injuries.

• Goalkeepers: Guillermo Ochoa (AEL Limassol — 40, record 6th WC participation), Raúl Rangel, Carlos Acevedo
• Defenders: Johan Vásquez (Genoa), Jesús Gallardo (Toluca), Mateo Chávez (AZ Alkmaar), César Montes, Israel Reyes, Jorge Sánchez
• Midfielders: Edson Álvarez (Fenerbahçe — captain), Erik Lira (Cruz Azul), Luis Romo (Chivas), Obed Vargas (Atlético Madrid), Brian Gutiérrez (Chivas), Orbelín Pineda (AEK Athens), Gilberto Mora (Club Tijuana — 17), Álvaro Fidalgo (Real Betis), Luis Chávez (Dynamo Moscow)
• Forwards: Raúl Jiménez (Fulham), Santiago Giménez (AC Milan), Julián Quiñones (Al-Qadsiah), Roberto Alvarado (Chivas), Alexis Vega (Toluca), Guillermo Martínez (Pumas), Armando González (Chivas), César Huerta (Anderlecht)

🇿🇦 South Africa (Manager: Hugo Broos) The Belgian manager Broos, who sees this as the last stop of his career, took Bafana Bafana to the World Cup after 16 years. 19 players of the squad play in the South African league; 8 players came from Mamelodi Sundowns, 7 players from Orlando Pirates. Only Bradley Cross entered the squad from Kaizer Chiefs.

• Goalkeepers: Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns — captain), Ricardo Goss (Siwele), Sipho Chaine (Orlando Pirates)
• Defenders: Aubrey Modiba, Khuliso Mudau, Nkosinathi Sibisi, Mbekezeli Mbokazi (Chicago Fire), Ime Okon (Hannover), Samukele Kabini (Molde), Khulumani Ndamane, Thabang Matuludi, Bradley Cross (Kaizer Chiefs), Olwethu Makhanya (Philadelphia Union), Kamogelo Sebelebele
• Midfielders: Teboho Mokoena (Mamelodi Sundowns), Sphephelo Sithole (Tondela), Thalente Mbatha (Orlando Pirates), Jayden Adams (Mamelodi Sundowns)
• Forwards: Themba Zwane (Mamelodi Sundowns), Lyle Foster (Burnley), Evidence Makgopa (Orlando Pirates), Oswin Appollis, Iqraam Rayners, Relebohile Mofokeng

🇰🇷 South Korea (Manager: Hong Myung-bo) The captain of South Korea's semi-final squad in 2002 Hong Myung-bo is now managing the national team as manager for the fourth time. The team completed the Asian qualifiers unbeaten with 6 wins and 4 draws. 15 players of the squad play in nine different European countries; 6 players came from the K-League.

• Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-gyu (Al-Shabab — 35), Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan Hyundai — 38, 3rd WC), Song Bum-keun (Jeonbuk)
• Defenders: Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Kim Moon-hwan, Kim Jin-su, Lee Ki-hyuk, Park Yong-woo, Kim Ju-sung
• Midfielders: Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz 05 — 100 caps), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Jens Castrop (Borussia Mönchengladbach — 22), Hong Hyun-seok, Lee Dong-gyeong, Bae Jun-ho, Yang Min-hyuk
• Forwards: Son Heung-min (LAFC — captain, 144 caps, 56 international goals, 4th WC), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolves), Cho Gue-sung, Oh Hyeon-gyu, Lee Tae-seok

🇨🇿 Czechia (Manager: Miroslav Koubek) The 74-year-old Koubek stands out as the oldest manager of the tournament. Koubek, who took office in December 2025 replacing Ivan Hašek, took the team to the World Cup by eliminating Slovakia and Denmark on penalties in the play-off stage. 10 players of the squad came from Czech champion Slavia Prague.

• Goalkeepers: Matěj Kovář (Bayer Leverkusen), Vítězslav Jaroš (Liverpool), Lukáš Horníček (Slavia Prague)
• Defenders: Vladimír Coufal (Hoffenheim), David Doudera (Slavia Prague), Tomáš Holeš (Slavia Prague), Robin Hranáč (Hoffenheim), Štěpán Chaloupek (Slavia Prague), David Jurášek (Slavia Prague), Ladislav Krejčí (Wolves — captain), Jaroslav Zelený (Sparta Prague), David Zima (Slavia Prague)
• Midfielders: Lukáš Červ (Viktoria Plzeň), Vladimír Darida (Hradec Králové), Lukáš Provod (Slavia Prague), Michal Sadílek (Slavia Prague), Hugo Sochůrek (Sparta Prague — 17), Alexandr Sojka (Viktoria Plzeň), Tomáš Souček (West Ham — 89 caps), Pavel Šulc (Lyon), Denis Višinský (Viktoria Plzeň)
• Forwards: Adam Hložek (Hoffenheim), Tomáš Chorý (Slavia Prague), Mojmír Chytil (Slavia Prague), Jan Kuchta (Sparta Prague), Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen — 50 caps 24 goals)

Group A Fixtures (Local Time)

Matchday 1 — Thursday, June 11, 2026

• Mexico vs South Africa | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City | 13:00 (local)
• South Korea vs Czechia | Estadio Akron, Zapopan (Guadalajara) | 20:00 (local)

Matchday 2 — Thursday, June 18, 2026

• Czechia vs South Africa | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta | 12:00 (local/ET)
• Mexico vs South Korea | Estadio Akron, Zapopan | 21:00 (local)

Matchday 3 — Wednesday, June 24, 2026

• Czechia vs Mexico | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City | 19:00 (local)
• South Africa vs South Korea | Estadio BBVA, Monterrey (Guadalupe) | 19:00 (local)

The group winner and runner-up will advance directly to the round of 32, while the third-placed team will be evaluated based on the performance of the third-place teams of other groups. The 8 best third-place teams will also join the round of 32.

Europe and Turkey Times

Thursday, June 11, 2026

• Mexico - South Africa: 21:00 CEST | 22:00 TST
• South Korea - Czechia: 04:00 CEST (June 12) | 05:00 TST (June 12)

Thursday, June 18, 2026

• Czechia - South Africa: 18:00 CEST | 19:00 TST
• Mexico - South Korea: 05:00 CEST (June 19) | 06:00 TST (June 19)

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

• Czechia - Mexico: 03:00 CEST (June 25) | 04:00 TST (June 25)
• South Africa - South Korea: 03:00 CEST (June 25) | 04:00 TST (June 25)

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