Mexico beat South Korea to become the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup play-offs
The Mexican national team beat South Korea in their second Group A match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The match at Akron Stadium in Sapopan, Mexico, ended 1–0.
One of the tournament’s co-hosts scored the only goal of the match early in the second half. In the 50th minute, Luis Romo found the net following a costly error by South Korea’s goalkeeper, Shin-gyu Kim, who collided with a teammate and played the ball straight to an opponent’s feet.
Mexico thus secured their second victory of the tournament. In their opening World Cup match, the Mexicans beat South Africa 2–0.
In the other Group A match of the second round, the Czech Republic and South Africa drew 1–1.
After two rounds, Mexico have six points and have secured top spot in Group A ahead of schedule. The Mexican side became the first team to secure their place in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup.
South Korea have three points, whilst the Czech Republic and South Africa have one point each and are still in the running for a place in the play-offs.
In the final third round, Mexico will face the Czech Republic, whilst South Korea will take on South Africa. Both matches will take place on 25 June at 04:00 Kyiv time.
The 2026 World Cup runs from 11 June to 19 July in the USA, Mexico and Canada. It is the first World Cup in history to feature 48 national teams.
