3 former hosts and a former European giant feature in Group A.
The World Cup is days away and in the spirit of the game, I thought I’d put together a series of posts that look at each group and the teams in it. This won’t be an analytical deep dive or a series filled with lore and memories; just a quick overview of the teams, the manager, the players likely to bag goals and a bit of silly humour at the end.
Enjoy!
Mexico
The manager
Javier Aguirre. “El Vasco” is back again after managing Mexico at the 2002 and 2010 World Cups. Hopefully there won’t be any projectiles thrown at his head during the tournament.
Last World Cup
El Tri had a miserable World Cup in Qatar, going out at the group stage with just two goals to their name and breaking a streak of seven consecutive Round of 16 appearances. Now that they’re hosting it for the third time, they’ll want to equal their records from 1970 and 1986 and reach the quarter finals.
Who’s getting the goals
Raúl Jiménez is 35 but can still tie his laces and score goals. 10 in 43 for Fulham this season might show signs of a natural decline but 10 in 17 for his country since 2025 suggests otherwise. Aguirre will also be looking to Santiago Giménez and Julián Quiñones for much needed goals. Quiñones in particular has had another monumental season in the Saudi Pro League, scoring 37 goals in 35 matches. They’re gonna need that firepower.
If they were a video game, they would be…
Street Fighter (the arcade version). A historical stalwart that always shows strength, flair, and very passionate fanbase. They’ve got some hadoukens in there somewhere.
South Africa
The manager
Hugo Broos. Not to be confused with Hugo Boss, the 74-year-old has been in charge of South Africa since 2021 and this will be his last tournament as he looks to retire after it’s all done. Having played for the iconic Anderlecht teams of the 1970s and 1980s and winning AFCON with Cameroon in 2017, he knows what victory feels like.
Last World Cup
It’s been a while since Bafana Bafana graced a World Cup. In fact, the last time was when they hosted it1 back in 2010. We all remember the vuvuzelas and how they annoyed people not from South Africa and that famous win against France but they also became the first host nation to get knocked out at the group stage so they’ll have a point to prove in North America.
Who’s getting the goals
Burnley’s Lyle Foster and Sundowns legend Teboho Mokoena will be expected to score the goals needed to get South Africa into the round of 16. South Africa hasn’t won a match in 2026 yet (3 friendlies, 1 AFCON round of 16 match, and 3 goals so far).
If they were a video game, they would be…
Relooted. Perhaps a little on the nose but the idea of reclaiming what was lost after so many decades makes sense. And like those artifacts, it’ll take a lot of strategy and determination to make it past the guards (the other 3 teams in the group).
South Korea
The manager
Hong Myung-bo. The legendary former captain is now at the helm after some political issues involving his appointment after Jürgen Klinsmann’s chaotic stewardship. He’ll want to bring the spirit and belief of 2002 into the squad even if golden goals aren’t a thing anymore.
Last World Cup
A shock 2–1 win against Portugal got South Korea through to the round of 16 in Qatar at the expense of Uruguay. It was swiftly followed by a 4–1 defeat to Brazil but you can’t have everything go your way.
Who’s getting the goals
Son Heung-min. Spurs surely miss him and with good reason. He’s still doing well for club and country and he’ll be used to the pitches in US and Canada as he plays for LAFC. Alongside him will be Cho Gue-sung, Lee Kang-in, and the 2022 hero Hwang Hee-chan.
If they were a video game, they would be…
Shadow of the Colossus. When it comes to giants, they know how to take them down.
Czech Republic
The manager
Miroslav Koubek. Another septuagenarian in the World Cup, Koubek only came in as Czech manager in December after Ivan Hašek’s tenure came to an end following a defeat to the Faroe Islands. He scraped through qualification in the hardest way possible: on penalties in the play-offs. Twice. You can’t say that they don’t deserve to be here.
Last World Cup
It’s been 20 years since the Czechs were here. Back then, they still had Jan Koller, Pavel Nedvěd, and Petr Čech but they weren’t enough to get them through the group stage despite an 3-0 opening win against the USA.
Who’s getting the goals
Undoubtedly Patrik Schick, who scored 22 in 42 for Bayer Leverkusen last season. There’s also the Slavia Prague duo Mojmír Chytil and Tomáš Chorý, and West Ham’s Tomáš Souček who can pop up with the odd goal.
If they were a video game, they would be…
Tetris. A class act from Eastern Europe. Not as popular nowadays but one mention of their name and nostalgic wonder envelopes you. Hopefully all the pieces can slot into place for them this time around.
- Three of the four nations in Group A have hosted the World Cup: Mexico in 1970, 1986, and 2026; South Korea as co-hosts in 2002, and South Africa in 2010 ↩︎