Co-hosts Mexico have become the first nation to seal a place in the knockout stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup following a narrow 1-0 victory over South Korea in Guadalajara. The result ensures that Javier Aguirre’s side will finish at the summit of Group A after securing consecutive wins and clean sheets on home turf.
The decisive breakthrough at the Estadio Akron arrived five minutes into the second half via an error from South Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu. After failing to cleanly gather a cross from South Korean player Lee Gi-hyuk, Kim spilt the ball into the path of Luis Romo, who slotted the ball home to ignite celebrations in his home club stadium.
South Korea struggled to break down a resilient Mexican defensive unit throughout the encounter. Captain Son Heung-min was substituted after an hour, following a limited impact on proceedings. His replacement, Cho Gue-sung, had the Asian side’s finest opportunity to level late in the match, but his close-range header was kept out by a reaction save from Mexican goalkeeper Raul Rangel. The defeat leaves South Korea needing a positive result in their final group fixture against South Africa to assure themselves of a place in the round of 32.
Meanwhile, tournament action intensified elsewhere as Canada, another of the tournament’s co-hosts, recorded a historic milestone of its own. The North American side secured its first-ever World Cup victory emphatically, thrashing nine-man Qatar 6-0. The resounding win represents a significant step forward for Canada in Group B, though their evening was somewhat dampened by an injury to midfielder Ismaël Koné.
In the same group, Switzerland also took a substantial stride toward qualification by comfortably easing past ten-man Bosnia and Herzegovina with a 4-1 victory. The European side turned on the class late in the match to capitalise on their numerical advantage and boost their goal difference.
Rounding off the day’s action, South Africa’s “Bafana Bafana” produced a spirited display to salvage a point in a draw against a physical Czechia side, keeping their own qualification hopes alive in a highly competitive group stage.
With Mexico now safely through to the round of 32, where early tournament projections suggest a potential clash against Scotland at the Azteca, Aguirre’s squad can afford to experiment in their upcoming final group match against Czechia. South Korea, by contrast, face a high-stakes encounter against South Africa on 24 June, where failure to secure points could result in a premature departure from the competition.