Mexico became the first nation to officially secure a place in the knockout rounds of the FIFA World Cup 2026 after edging past South Korea 1-0 in their second Group A fixture. The victory gives Javier Aguirre’s side a perfect six points from two matches and guarantees top spot in the group with one game still to play.

In a tightly contested encounter, the decisive moment arrived shortly after the restart when a costly defensive error handed Mexico the breakthrough. On the 50th minute, South Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu raced off his line to deal with a loose ball but collided with teammate Lee Gi-hyeok in a moment of confusion. The goalkeeper spilled possession, and Luis Romo reacted instantly, smashing a first-time effort into the unguarded net.

The goal proved enough to separate the two sides, although South Korea came agonisingly close to rescuing a point late in the match. In the 87th minute, striker Cho Gue-sung appeared destined to score when he powered a close-range header towards goal.

However, Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel produced one of the saves of the tournament so far. The shot-stopper brilliantly denied the initial header before scrambling across his line to prevent the rebound from crossing over, preserving his side’s slender advantage.

The result not only secures qualification but could also provide a significant strategic advantage for Mexico as the tournament progresses. According to the knockout bracket, the winners of Group A are in line to play their next two rounds in Mexico City, potentially benefiting from familiar surroundings and strong home support.

World Cup 2026

Mexico - South Korea 1:0 (0:0)
Goals: Romo, 50 (1:0)

Mexico: Rangel; Sanchez J.; Alvarez Ed.; Vasquez J-n; Lira; Romo (Vargas Ob., 71); Gallardo; Alvarado (Reyes, 80); Gutiérrez (Pineda O., 71); Raul Jimenez (Gimenez S., 80); Quiñones J. (Huerta, 84)
Substitution: Pineda O. (from 71); Vargas Ob. (from 71); Reyes (from 80); Gimenez S. (from 80); Huerta (from 84)
Bench: Acevedo; Ochoa; Chavez M.; Chávez L.; Fidalgo; Mora G.; Vega A.; González Ar.; Martínez G.

South Korea: Kim Seunggyu; Han-beom Lee; Lee Ki-hyuk; Kim Min-jae; Kim Moon-hwan (Eom Ji-sung, 71); Seol Young-Woo (Yang Hyun-jun, 71); Hwang In-beom; Paik Seung-ho (Cho Gue-sung, 77); Son Heungmin (Oh Hyun-Gyu, 57); Lee Jae-sung (Hwang Hee-chan, 57); Lee Kang-in
Substitution: Hwang Hee-chan (from 57); Oh Hyun-Gyu (from 57); Yang Hyun-jun (from 71); Eom Ji-sung (from 71); Cho Gue-sung (from 77)
Bench: Song Bum-keun; Jo Hyeon-woo; Kim Tae-hyeon; Lee Tae-Seok; Cho Wi-je; Park Jin-seob; Castrop; Kim Jin-gyu; Bae Joon-Ho; Lee Dong-Gyeong
Yellow Cards: Lee Kang-in 4; Paik Seung-ho 58