Defeating South Korea, Mexico becomes the first team to qualify for the Round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Mexico became the first team to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup round of 32 after beating South Korea 1-0 in the second Group A fixture at Estadio Akron, early Friday WIB. This vital win cemented El Tri at the top of the Group A standings with six points collected from two matches.

Meanwhile, South Korea remain in second place with three points, and will need to battle hard in their final group match to lock in a knockout stage spot.

The race for second position in Group A remains completely open. Czech Republic sit 3rd with one point, while South Africa occupy the bottom of the table on the same points tally, after both sides played out a 1-1 Draw several hours prior to this match.

Playing in front of their home supporters, Mexico took attacking initiative right from the opening minute. Julián Quiñones met an incoming ball with a headed effort, but the attempt was safely gathered by South Korean Goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu.

Despite holding clear dominance, Mexico struggled to break through the Taegeuk Warriors defence. Hong Myung-bo's side opted to rely mostly on long balls to build attacking moves, and the deadlock remained at 0-0 going into the half-time break.

As the second half got underway, Mexico increased the intensity of their attacks. Jesús Gallardo made a driving run down the left edge of the penalty area, but his shot drifted wide of the goal frame.

The goal the home crowd had been waiting for finally arrived in the 50th minute. The strike originated from an error by Kim Seung-gyu, who failed to properly secure an incoming ball. Luis Romo pounced on the loose rebound to fire home past the South Korean keeper.

This goal lifted Mexico's confidence and allowed them to take full control of the match flow.

South Korea repeatedly failed to penetrate Mexico's compact defensive line. Kim Seung-gyu was also forced into an outstanding full-stretch save to deny a close range chance from Raúl Jiménez in the 75th minute.

In the 87th minute, Cho Gue-sung had two back-to-back scoring opportunities right in front of goal, but both attempts were stopped by Mexico keeper Raúl Rangel. The 1-0 scoreline remained unchanged until the final whistle blew.

This result was sufficient to send Javier Aguirre's squad through to the knockout phase, and officially makes Mexico the very first team to confirm their place in the 2026 World Cup round of 32.

Match Lineups

Mexico (4-1-2-3): Raúl Rangel, Jorge Sánchez, Edson Álvarez, Johan Vásquez, Jesús Gallardo, Erik Lira, Luis Romo, Brian Gutiérrez, Raúl Jiménez, Julián Quiñones, Roberto Alvarado.

South Korea (3-4-3): Kim Seung-gyu, Lee Han-beom, Kim Min-jae, Kim Moon-hwan, Seol Young-woo, Lee Gi-hyeok, Hwang In-beom, Paik Seung-ho, Lee Jae-sung, Lee Kang-in, Son Heung-min.