Will South Korea win Group A in the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

Analysis

Mexico are co-hosts opening at the Estadio Azteca, and that changes everything. The noise, the altitude, the crowd — visiting sides have nightmares there, and South Korea would have to walk straight through it. Mexico's squad runs deeper, they're fully acclimatised to North American conditions, and history backs them hard: hosts have consistently won their groups at home World Cups. South Korea are a proper tournament side — they've been at every World Cup since 1986 and know how to grind out results. But grinding results and topping a group that contains the hosts are completely different things. Korea have never won a group that included a host nation, and there's no obvious reason this time breaks that streak. Czechia complicates the picture further. They're awkward enough to nick points off anyone, which means Korea can't afford a slip-up while simultaneously chasing Mexico at the top of the table. The floor for South Korea is solid — second place is realistic and probably their ceiling too. I'd back Mexico to take this group and leave Korea grateful for a runner-up berth.