Mexico 1–0 South Korea: Co-Hosts Clinch Knockout Berth in Guadalajara

The decisive moment arrived in the 50th minute. A Raúl Jiménez effort was spilled by Kim Seung-gyu, allowing Luis Romo to lift the ball into an empty net for the only goal of the match . South Korea pushed for an equalizer late on, but Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel produced a superb double save to preserve the lead .

Group A standings after the match

After two matches, Mexico led Group A with six points (two wins, 3–0 aggregate), while South Korea remained on three points (one win, one loss) . Mexico had beaten South Africa 2–0 in their opener, while South Korea had defeated the Czech Republic 2–1 .

What the result means

Mexico became the first team to secure a spot in the knockout rounds of the 2026 World Cup . The win also guaranteed that Mexico would finish top of Group A — South Korea could no longer win the group regardless of the final matchday results . Heading into the third group game against the Czech Republic, Mexico only needed to avoid defeat to confirm first place .