World Cup 2026 betting tips: Group A predictions, best bets and preview

Football

Tue June 02, 2026 · 31 min ago

We break down every team, in every group in our World Cup 2026 betting guide. Group A features co-hosts Mexico, South Africa, South Korea and Czechia.

Football betting tips: World Cup

0.5pt Cesar Montes top Mexico scorer at 66/1 (Betway)

1.5pts Mexico/South Korea dual forecast at 12/5 (BOYLESports)

1pt Czechia not to qualify at 11/4 (General)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair

Fixtures & kick-off times (BST)

June 11: Mexico 20:00 South Africa
June 12: South Korea 03:00 Czechia
June 18: Czechia 17:00 South Africa
June 19: Mexico 02:00 South Korea
June 25: Czechia 02:00 Mexico
South Africa 02:00 South Korea

Mexico

Much will be expected of co-hosts MEXICO when they step out at the iconic Azteca Stadium for the tournament curtain-raiser, a fixture that is a reversal of 2010 when South Africa's Siphiwe Tshabalala provided one of the World Cup's greatest moments at Soccer City, thundering home the wobbling Jabulani ball to score a "goal for all Africa" as it was coined, and almost single-handedly lead to the banning of the vuvuzela from most European stadia.

The Mexicans - who ground out a 1-1 draw that night - are experienced major tournament operators, with their group-stage exit four years ago the first time since 1978 they had failed to reach the knockouts (in 1990 they were banned and in 1982 they failed to qualify) and even then took four points from three games.

Mexico have been hugely successful regionally since, winning the Gold Cup (for North American nations) in both 2023 and 2025, as well as the Nations League in the latter year. They did exit the 2024 Copa America (for North and South American nations) at the group stage, but that failure triggered the appointment of veteran coach Javier Aguirre for a third time.

While Fulham striker Raul Jimenez led the way as MEXICO TOP GOALSCORER in the Nations League with five, it has been a very different story in knockout tournaments. In all of the last three a defender has either top-scored or been equal top scorer, with Luis Romo (2) and CESAR MONTES (3) prolific from set-pieces at successive Gold Cups.

In 2025 Montes and Jimenez both scored three times, but while the latter is 5/2 favourite to top the Mexico charts again Montes is 66/1. The Lokomotiv Moscow centre-back arrives at the tournament in strong goalscoring form, scoring three times in his final six matches of the season.

South Africa

Burnley striker Lyle Foster will lead the line for a South Africa team who look set to struggle

Not since hosting 16 years ago have SOUTH AFRICA played at the World Cup, with this their first successful qualification since 2002.

Belgian coach Hugo Broos has done an outstanding job with a squad primarily made up of domestically-based players, many of whom are on the books of Mamelodi Sundowns, one of the most talked about teams ahead of and during last year's Club World Cup - where they lost a 4-3 thriller to Borussia Dortmund.

His job was made even harder in qualifying when a 2-0 win over Lesotho was reversed to a 3-0 defeat after South Africa were ruled to have fielded an ineligible player, but they ultimately managed to edge Nigeria by a point despite the Super Eagles possessing a far stronger squad.

Bafana Bafana are a fair bit of odds-on not to qualify and around even money to finish bottom of Group A.

No bet for me here.

South Korea

This is expected be South Korea captain Son Heung-min's last World Cup

This may well mark the end of a cycle for SOUTH KOREA as captain Son Heung-min embarks on his fourth World Cup alongside many longtime team-mates.

There have been three group-stage exits and two defeats in the round of 16 since reaching the dizzy heights of the semi-finals on home soil in 2002 but this year's expanded format offers a great opportunity for a deeper run.

They arrive having bounced back from a shock 2024 Asia Cup semi-final defeat by Jordan to breeze their way through AFC's elongated qualifying period, the only team to go unbeaten across all 16 fixtures (W11 D5).

The bookies are split on who they consider to be the second strongest team in the group behind Mexico, with South Korea favoured in some markets and Czech Republic in others.

I'm happy to oppose the Czechs - more on that later - and back Hong Myung-bo's side to finish in the top two by taking the DUAL FORECAST (top 2 any order, and also termed REVERSE FORECAST) of MEXICO/SOUTH KOREA at 12/5.

Czechia

Much like Bosnia - and to some extent Scotland - CZECHIA can thank their lucky stars that they are here at all.

Drawn in a spectacularly weak group they scraped into second place despite losing in the Faroe Islands, needing a late goal to narrowly beat the same opponents at home, and being thrashed 5-1 in Croatia.

Then came the play-offs where a moment of madness from Republic of Ireland defender Ryan Manning gifted them a penalty at 2-0 down after just 27 minutes before they clung on for dear life in the second half.

A late equaliser and penalty shootout later they were through to the play-off final. While it was the Czechs who this time gave up the lead (twice) another 2-2 draw in a game they were dominated in followed, with Denmark beaten on spot-kicks.

Surely their luck runs out in North America.

Two years ago the Czechs finished bottom of their Euros group - losing to Portugal and Turkey and drawing with Georgia - and there is little reason to believe they will fare better this time around, making the 11/4 for them NOT TO QUALIFY worthy of consideration.

Odds correct at 14:00 BST (02/06/26)

Group previews

Outright previews

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