Mexico defeated South Korea 1-0 to secure top spot in Group A and advance to the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The match took place on June 19 at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara. In the first half, both teams played cautiously with few chances, drawing whistles from the crowd. The only notable moment was a Son Heung-min effort that beat goalkeeper Raúl Rangel but was ruled offside.
In the 50th minute, a mistake by 35-year-old Tokyo goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu allowed Luis Romo of local club Guadalajara to score the only goal. South Korea pushed for an equalizer but Rangel made two outstanding saves in the 87th minute to deny Cho Gue-sung and Yang Hyun-jun.
Mexico now leads Group A with six points, while South Korea has three. The final group matches are on June 25: Czech Republic vs. Mexico and South Africa vs. South Korea. Mexico will face a third-place team in the round of 16, while the group runner-up will meet the second-placed team from Group B.
In Group B, Canada crushed Qatar 6-0 and Switzerland beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1.
The 2026 World Cup, the first to feature 48 teams and hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, began on June 11 and ends on July 19. The top two teams from each group and the eight best third-placed teams advance to the round of 16.