Mexico and South Korea strike first in Group A

Mexico and South Korea made winning starts in Group A at the 2026 World Cup, with both sides collecting three points on matchday one.

Mexico beat South Africa 2-0. Julián Quiñones scored the first goal of the tournament, and Raúl Jiménez added a second-half finish to settle the game. The match was not short of incident, with three red cards shown across the contest.

South Korea also came from behind to win 2-1 against the Czech Republic. Ladislav Krejčí put the Czechs ahead, but Hwang In-beom levelled before Oh Hyeon-gyu completed the turnaround. After the opening round, Mexico and South Korea sit on three points apiece, while the Czech Republic and South Africa are both pointless. Five goals were scored in Group A on the day.