Mexico thrashed the Czech Republic and qualified for the 2026 World Cup play-offs as group winners
The Mexican national team secured a convincing victory over the Czech Republic in their third-round Group A match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The match at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City ended 3–0 in favour of the hosts.
In the first half, neither side managed to break the deadlock. After the break, the Mexicans stepped up their attacking play considerably and began to capitalise on their chances.
The deadlock was broken in the 55th minute. Mateo Chávez scored the opening goal.
Just six minutes later, Mexico doubled their lead. Julián Quiñones found the net in the 61st minute.
The final score was sealed in stoppage time. In the 90+4th minute, Álvaro Hidalgo scored the third goal against the Czech Republic.
A highlight of the match was the appearance of Guillermo Ochoa. In the 78th minute, Mexico’s head coach Javier Aguirre brought on the 40-year-old goalkeeper as a substitute.
For Ochoa, this match marked his fourth World Cup appearance. He had previously played in the 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cups. The goalkeeper was also named in Mexico’s squad for the 2006 and 2010 tournaments, but did not feature in either.
Guillermo Ochoa plans to retire from professional football after this World Cup.
In the other Group A match, South Africa narrowly beat South Korea 1–0.
At the end of the group stage, Mexico had secured the maximum 9 points and qualified for the knockout stages in first place. South Africa finished second with 4 points and also progressed to the round of 32.
South Korea finished the group stage in third place with 3 points and still have a chance of reaching the knockout stages via the third-placed teams’ ranking. The Czech Republic ended their tournament campaign with 1 point.
The 2026 World Cup is being held in the USA, Mexico and Canada from 11 June to 19 July. For the first time in history, 48 national teams are taking part in the final stage of the tournament. The teams are divided into 12 groups of four. The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, advance to the round of 16.
