2026 World Cup Group A Betting Guide

Joint hosts Mexico will be strong favourites as they kickstart the 2026 World Cup campaign in Mexico City in front of 81,000 supporters. South Africa will be their first opponent looking to cause an upset on 11th June, while both Czech Republic and South Korea will battle for three points 24 hours later on US soil in Atlanta.

The hosts will play all of their matches in Mexico which is why they are almost expected to qualify out of Group A with relative ease. El Tri will head to Zapopan to face South Korea before returning to Mexico City hoping to seal top spot against Czech Republic.

But who’s likely to join them in the next round? World Cup tipster Nathan Joyes analyses the profiles of all four nations competing in Group A.

Group A Team analysis

Mexico

Mexico defeated the US to win the Gold Cup less than 12 months ago and have only lost two of their following 10 matches in the build up to the World Cup. Those came against South American opponents - who arguably know them better than most - but have largely been rather consistent.

Led by Javier Aguirre, this is his third and potential last stint with El Tri, who will step down after the tournament has finished. The Mexican has opted for local players to make up the bulk of his squad, although several playing overseas will be crucial to their success. Arguably their best player will be Julian Quinones who has scored 26 league goals in 26 matches for Saudi based Al Qadsiah. Keeping him quiet will take some hard graft.

South Korea

Hong Myung-bo will be hoping to take South Korea as far as possible this summer. The Tigers of Asia dominated their World Cup qualifiers, finishing six points above Jordan in first place, where Mainz’s Lee Jae-Sung finished as their joint-top goalscorer with four to his name alongside Besiktas’ Oh Hyeon-Gyu.

LAFC’s Son Heung-Min contributed three, and sporting the captain's arm band once more, this will no doubt be the 33-year-old’s last major tournament representing his country.

Although South Korea impressively beat Portugal in their group at the 2022 World Cup, Brazil brushed them to one side 4-1 in the round of 16. They lost 5-0 to the South Americans in November 2025 - showing their limitations against the bigger nations.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic return to the World Cup for the first time in 20 years via the play-offs who will heavily rely on Lyon’s Pavel Sulc to provide that bit of magic in front of goal.

Premier League fans will know all about Ladislav Krejci and Tomas Soucek but this isn’t a nation filled with superstars, although their attacking formation that includes wing-backs won’t see them sit back. This is a team that likes to get forward - but it does make them vulnerable at the back. It won’t be dull watching the Czech’s this summer.

South Africa

South Africa play at the World Cup for the first time since 2010 when they hosted the tournament, but this time on merit.

Ranked 40th in the world, Hugo Broos oversaw his team finish above Nigeria in the World Cup qualifiers, drawing with the Super Eagles 1-1 in both matches. The Belgian has built a resilient defence that only conceded nine in 10 group games. It’s also worth adding in that they were handed a 3-0 loss against Lesotho for fielding an ineligible player.

A large proportion of their squad is made up of Mamelodi Sundown players, who performed above expectations and impressed at the Club World Cup last summer. Mohau Nkota and Lyle Foster are two strikers to keep an eye on, who represent Al Ettifaq and Burnley respectively.

Group A has a warm favourite to finish top, but those chasing in behind will all believe they have a chance of progressing to the round of 16, especially with three potential spots up for grabs. Let’s get straight into those betting tips.

Group A Betting tips

Group winner: Mexico - EVS with Betfred

Mexico’s price appears to be rather generous considering they will play all of their group matches in their own country. With a huge amount of support behind them, El Tri are going to be used to the conditions and effectively have the 12th man in all three matches.

But it’s not just the environment and atmosphere we need to consider. Mexico’s run of form has been excellent heading into the World Cup. Ghana, Australia and Serbia will provide good tests towards the end of May but recent draws over both Portugal and Belgium are eye-catching enough.

Two positive results against nations in the FIFA ranked top 10 should have boosted confidence, especially against three nations arriving with plenty of questions to answer.

South Africa failed to beat Panama in two recent friendlies, before falling short against Cameroon in the African Cup of Nations - a side that failed to qualify for the World Cup.

The Czech Republic relied on the play-offs to make it this far, and although wins over Ireland and Denmark were enough, a heavy 5-1 defeat vs Croatia before losing 2-1 against the Faroe Islands highlighted their defensive issues.

And while South Korea are ranked 25th in the world, they certainly haven’t been playing like it. Brazil battered them 5-0 on home soil, before Ivory Coast put four past them without reply. They could be one of, if not, the most disappointing nations at this World Cup based on what we’ve witnessed in the build-up to the main event.

Which leaves Mexico clear to pick up first place. A blend of European based players alongside domestic talent could be the answer in Group A. Capable of playing a 4-3-3 or 4-5-1, El Tri have options where others in this group don’t. Back the hosts before they become odds-on.

South Korea to qualify - 4/9 with Betfred

South Korea will be expected to compete for 2nd spot but Betfred believes that spot will be for the Czech Republic. If the European nation can deal with the weather conditions, they will be in with a shout but it looks as though that factor hasn’t been considered.

It’s been an awfully long time since the Czech Republic have played in such temperatures - and at a World Cup - and that should give the advantage to Asia's representatives in this group.

Whoever joins Mexico in the knockout round doesn’t look like a nation that will have a deep run in this competition but the value may be with South Korea to edge out a Czech side that doesn’t often keep clean sheets.

Longshot team to watch: South Africa to qualify - 6/5 with Betfred

South Africa have been completely overlooked in Group A which is reflected in their odds to qualify. But if you aren’t convinced by either Czech Republic or South Korea, the African nation may pick up enough points to sneak a third spot and progress to the next round, so it worth redeeming a World Cup betting bonus on South Africa to qualify.

They are the only nation that are odds-against in this group - but they are an unknown team compared to most but that could play to their advantage. One win - or two draws - might just be enough and I don’t think the World Cup bookmakers have picked up on the fact that three could make it out of the group.

World Cup Group A Standings

2026 World Cup Group A Fixtures