"He's surely on the radar of several huge clubs around the world and it fills me with pride to see him being talked about on the global stage." Javier Aguirre said that about a 17-year-old who has already broken records held by Lamine Yamal and Pelé. That's the kind of squad depth — and pressure — Mexico are carrying into their own World Cup.
Group A, on paper, should be routine for El Tri. Mexico are ranked 15th in the world, priced at 80/1 to win the tournament, and face a South Africa side whose own coach recently said he won't be blamed if they don't get out of the group. But paper means nothing when 80,000 people inside the Azteca are watching you and your country's footballing reputation is on the line.
Mexico: 18th time, still waiting for a quarter-final
This is Mexico's 18th World Cup appearance, and their ceiling — realistically — is the quarter-finals. They haven't been there since 1986, the last time they hosted. The bracket this summer likely puts England in their last-16 path, which is a test of a different order entirely.
Aguirre, in his third stint as head coach after being re-appointed in July 2024, has ditched the possession-based identity that Tata Martino tried to install and reverted to organised chaos. It's not pretty, but it's theirs. The Qatar nightmare — eliminated on goal difference after conceding in the 95th minute against Saudi Arabia — hasn't been forgotten. Neither has losing a string of CONCACAF Gold Cup finals to the United States.
Raul Jimenez, approaching 50 international goals and now at Fulham, is finally expected to start matches at a World Cup after years of cameos. He's the biggest name in the squad by a distance and Mexico need him to deliver. But the player every scout in North America will be tracking is Gilberto Mora.
The Tijuana attacking midfielder is 17. He became the youngest player to win a senior international cap at 16 years and 265 days — younger than Yamal's record, younger than Pelé's. Once he turns 18, the move to Europe is considered inevitable. Aguirre has made no attempt to manage expectations around him, which tells you everything about the confidence the coaching staff have in what they're seeing in training.
- Mexico key fixture: vs South Africa, 11 June, Mexico City — a dropped point here would be catastrophic for the atmosphere around the whole campaign
- Star player: Raul Jimenez (Fulham) — 120+ caps, home soil, finally a starter
- One to watch: Gilberto Mora (Tijuana) — 17 years old, already rewriting record books
- FIFA ranking: 15 | Odds to win the World Cup: 80/1
The race for second: Czech Republic vs South Korea
The meeting between Czech Republic and South Korea in Guadalajara on 12 June should effectively be a preliminary decider for the second automatic berth. Both carry genuine weaknesses that make predicting it genuinely difficult.
South Korea are in a rut. Fourth place as co-hosts in 2002 remains their high-water mark. Since then: alternating group exits and last-16 defeats, now in their 11th consecutive World Cup with the same alternating pattern still intact. Son Heung-min turns 34 during the latter stages and head coach Hong Myung-bo — the 2002 captain, now in a second spell that hasn't exactly sparkled — tried a three-man defence in March friendlies and lost 4-0 to Ivory Coast and 1-0 to Austria. He's going back to four at the back. Lee Kang-in at PSG will need to dominate in midfield if Korea are to advance.
Czech Republic shouldn't really be here — and for long stretches of qualifying, it looked like they wouldn't be. Tomas Soucek was stripped of the captaincy after a row with fans. They went two goals down to Ireland in their play-off semi-final. They were outplayed comprehensively by Denmark in the final. They won both on penalties, flawlessly. Whatever they lack in attacking coherence, they appear to have found something steelier. Patrik Schick — 16 Bundesliga goals for Leverkusen last season, averaging close to a goal every two caps internationally — is the focal point. They need him sharp from the first whistle.
- Czech Republic key fixture: vs South Korea, 12 June, Guadalajara — arguably the group's defining match
- Star player: Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen)
- One to watch: Ladislav Krejci (Wolves) — captained the Czech side during their unlikely play-off run
- FIFA ranking: 40 | Odds to win the World Cup: 300/1
South Africa are the group's clear outsiders at 1000/1. Hugo Broos, their 74-year-old head coach, isn't dressing it up: "We're going to do our best but I don't think anyone will blame us if we don't make it out of the group." Their strength is unity — eight Mamelodi Sundowns players in the squad, eight Orlando Pirates — and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, who saved four consecutive penalties against Cape Verde at the 2023 AFCON, gives them a chance to frustrate. Lyle Foster of Burnley is the only name likely to register with British audiences. They won't be hammered, but three points from this group looks beyond them.
Mexico go through. Second place is genuinely open. The Czech Republic's newfound ruthlessness from the spot could be the deciding factor if it's level after 90 minutes on the final night — and with this group, that's entirely plausible.
