South Africa accompany Mexico to the Round of 32 after defeating South Korea 1-0.

South Korea suffered a bitter defeat in the final fixture of 2026 World Cup Group A after falling 0-1 to South Africa at Monterrey Stadium, Mexico, Thursday WIB. Thapelo Maseko's solitary second-half goal was the difference between the sides.

With this result, South Africa confirmed their progression to the Round of 32 as Group A runners-up. Meanwhile, South Korea were forced to settle for third place and will now await results from remaining group matches.

The match was played at high intensity from kickoff. Both teams operated with tight discipline and aggressive pressing, meaning clear goalscoring opportunities remained rare throughout the entire first half.

South Korea registered their first chance through Kim Min-jae, but the defender's header was successfully cleared by Aubrey Modiba.

South Africa hit back in the 20th minute via Aswin Appollis. The midfielder's powerful driven shot was safely gathered by South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu.

Kim Seung-gyu then produced a spectacular double save, first parrying Mbatha's strike before clutching the close-range rebound attempt from Evidence Makgopa.

No goals were scored as the sides went into the half-time break.

After the restart, South Korea upped their attacking intensity. Son Heung-min and Kim Jing-yu were introduced from the bench to add extra firepower to the front line.

In the 60th minute, Oh Hyeon-gyu worked himself a shooting chance only to see his effort blocked by South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.

Heartbreak arrived for South Korea in the 63rd minute. Exploiting a gap in the Korean defensive line, Thapelo Maseko fired home to put South Africa 1-0 ahead.

Chasing the equaliser, South Korea pushed forward with even greater aggression, while South Africa dropped into a compact defensive shape to protect their narrow lead.

The 1-0 scoreline held until the final whistle, securing victory for South Africa. This result confirms the African nation will advance to the 2026 World Cup Round of 32 as Group A runners-up.

Mexico Record Perfect Three Wins From Three

Mexico completed a clean sweep of victories in 2026 World Cup Group A with a 3-0 win over Czech Republic in their final group fixture at the Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, Thursday WIB. This result confirmed Mexico's status as group winners ahead of the knockout rounds.

Goals for Mexico came from Mateo Chavez, Julian Quinones and Alvaro Fidalgo.

Backed by their home support, the hosts controlled possession and pressed forward right from the opening whistle. Despite chances being created at both ends, the first half ended goalless.

Mexico finally broke the deadlock in the 55th minute, when Mateo Chavez finished off Luis Romo's assist to open the scoring.

Julian Quinones doubled the lead just six minutes later, converting Jorge Sanchez's delivery in the 61st minute.

Deep into second half stoppage time, Alvaro Fidalgo sealed the victory with a 90+4th minute goal. The match finished 3-0 to Mexico.