On June 11, the 23rd FIFA World Cup will kick off in Mexico, the USA, and Canada. For the first time in history, 48 teams will participate in the tournament. They will be divided into 12 groups, and we will provide a detailed overview of each group in a series of articles dedicated to the WC-2026.

As always, the representatives of Group A will be the first to take the field. According to the draw, the group includes Mexico (one of the host nations), South Korea, South Africa, and the Czech Republic. RBC-Ukraine, with the support of GGBET, introduces you to each of these teams in detail.

Mexico: Is a home championship a guarantee of success?

Mexican fans vividly remember 1970 and 1986: it was in those years that Mexico hosted the FIFA World Cup. One might be skeptical about the phrase "my home is my fortress," but the Mexican national football team proves that this principle works perfectly. Their best results in World Cup history were achieved precisely at home tournaments: on both occasions, they reached the quarterfinals.

In general, the Mexican national team has extensive experience in World Cups. It is easier to recall when they were absent: 1934, 1938, 1974, 1982, and 1990.

Usually, overcoming the group stage is not a problem for the Mexicans: from 1994 to 2018 inclusive, they comfortably advanced to the knockout stage, only to be eliminated in the Round of 16. However, this year the draw was quite lenient to the hosts. Their opponents are the Koreans (hosts of the 2002 WC), the South Africans (hosts of the 2010 WC), and a solid European mid-table team—the Czech Republic.

Key figures of the Mexican team

This formation of the Mexican team has everything needed for a worthy performance at the World Cup. First, this is already the sixth World Cup for goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. And yes, he will be playing at the World Cup again! The 40-year-old goalkeeper has 152 caps for the national team. Yes, he plays in the Cypriot championship for AEL Limassol. But will anyone question Ochoa's professionalism and qualification? Probably not.

The main star of this team is the forward for English Wolverhampton Wanderers, Raúl Jiménez. He has extensive experience in the Premier League—joining Wolves in 2018 and moving to Fulham in 2023. Just a few days ago, Jiménez returned to Wolves, who were relegated at the end of the previous season and will now play in the Championship. Raúl is 35, no longer young, but he scores consistently: since 2013, he has netted 45 goals for the Mexican national team. He is just 7 goals away from the record of the legendary Chicharito...

And another highlight of this team is its head coach, Javier Aguirre. The 67-year-old manager is not leading his national team for the first time: this is Mr. Aguirre's third tenure. He worked with the team in 2001-2002 and 2009-2010. This is not Javier's only experience with national teams: he has also worked with Japan (2014-2015) and Egypt (2018-2019).

At the club level, this specialist performed best working with several Spanish clubs ("Atlético", "Zaragoza", "Espanyol", "Leganes", and "Mallorca").

Currently, Aguirre is viewed in Mexico with the same restrained optimism: who, if not him, should deliver results with this team?

South Korea: The legend of Son Heung-min and ambitions

The Korean team has been a regular participant in World Cups in recent years. Since 1986, the Koreans have not missed a single World Cup. In fact, the first World Cup in the country's history was in 1954, where Korea stopped at the group stage. Then came 32 years of unsuccessful qualification attempts, and eventually, the tournament in Mexico became the beginning of a new era for Korean footballers.

The best performance by the Koreans at the World Cup was the home tournament in 2002. They hosted the main football event of the quadrennium jointly with Japan and even defeated Italy and Spain on their way to the final. The German national team stopped the Koreans' progress, winning 1:0 in the semi-final. In the match for third place, the Korean team lost to Turkey—2:3.

The living legend of the current Korean national team is Los Angeles forward Son Heung-min. In Europe, this player is well remembered for his performances with Tottenham and Bayer. Since 2025, he has been playing in MLS, but he holds the record for the most caps for the Korean national team—144 games. In addition to his successful club experience, Son Heung-min participated in the 2014, 2018, and 2022 World Cups and won the Asian Cup.

Festive atmosphere and support from GGBET

The global football tournament is an event we have been waiting for for 4 years. This is the summer of the big game, and the betting brand GGBET is meeting it with everything a true fan loves: a deep line, some of the best odds, and a festive atmosphere! Tune in to the matches, catch the emotions, and cheer with GGBET!