According to ESPN, the 2026 World Cup group stage is divided into 12 groups of four. Group A features Mexico, South Africa, South Korea and Czechia, with historical records and tournament notes for each nation.
Mexico, nicknamed El Tri, enter with a FIFA ranking of 14th and 18 World Cup appearances. Their active run of nine consecutive tournaments runs from 1994 through 2026. Mexico’s best finishes are quarterfinals in 1970 and 1986; their overall World Cup record is 18-15-28. Luis Hernández and Javier Hernández are Mexico’s top scorers at the World Cup with four goals apiece, while Cuauhtémoc Blanco (37 years, 151 days) is the oldest Mexican World Cup scorer and Manuel Rosas (18 years, 93 days) the youngest. Mexico is the first country to host three World Cups (1970, 1986 and 2026).
South Africa, known as Bafana Bafana, are ranked 60th and make their fourth World Cup appearance (1998, 2002, 2010, 2026). Their best results remain group-stage exits in 1998, 2002 and 2010, and their all-time World Cup record is 2-4-4. Shaun Bartlett and Benni McCarthy are South Africa’s leading scorers at the tournament with two goals each. Lucas Radebe (33 years, 61 days) is the nation’s oldest World Cup scorer; Benni McCarthy was the youngest at 20 years, 218 days. South Africa were the first African country to host a World Cup in 2010 and were the first host nation to be eliminated in the group stage since the single group-stage format began in 1986.
South Korea, nicknamed the Taegeuk Warriors or The Reds, are ranked 25th and have appeared in 12 World Cups, the most of any Asian country. Their active streak of 11 consecutive tournaments dates from 1986 to 2026. South Korea’s best finish is the 2002 semifinals, and their overall record is 8-10-21. Park Ji-sung, Son Heung-min and Ahn Jung-hwan are tied as South Korea’s top World Cup scorers with three goals each. Hwang Sun-hong (33 years, 325 days) is the oldest scorer and Kim Jong-boo (20 years, 214 days) the youngest. South Korea remain the only Asian nation to reach the World Cup semifinals and are one of five countries to qualify for every tournament since 1986 (alongside Argentina, Brazil, Germany and Spain).
Czechia, nicknamed Nároďák or Lokomotiva, are ranked 40th and make their 10th World Cup appearance. Their best finishes came as runners-up in 1934 and 1962, and their overall record is 12-5-17. Oldrich Nejedly is Czechia’s leading World Cup scorer with seven goals; Oldrich Nejedly (1934) and Tomas Skuhravy (1990) are noted for top single-tournament tallies. Antonin Panenka (33 years, 204 days, as Czechoslovakia) is the oldest scorer on record and Zdenek Zikan (20 years, 213 days, as Czechoslovakia) the youngest. Czechia qualified for the 2026 World Cup by winning two playoff shootouts, against Ireland and then Denmark.
For more World Cup news, stats and scores, see the ESPN World Cup hub, according to ESPN.
