The World Cup is finally here! Group A gets the whole tournament underway on June 11th on BETDAQ EXCHANGE WORLD CUP when Mexico host South Africa at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City! Mexico play their first-ever World Cup at home as a co-host and carry the pressure of being favourites to top Group A. It will be a fascinating start to the World Cup!
Group A
• Mexico
• South Korea
• Czechia
• South Africa
🇲🇽 Mexico (🔢 FIFA Ranking: 15th)
As co-hosts, Mexico were handed their berth automatically, confirmed back in February 2023. All three of Mexico’s group matches land on home soil, which you have to say is an extraordinary advantage – particularly given that Mexico City’s altitude will be a major factor. Historically they perform exceptionally well at home and as I said above, marginal odds on favourites to top Group A. The key names are Santiago Gimenez (pictured below), Hirving Lozano and Edson Alvarez, not to mention Fulham veteran Raul Jimenez, who has enjoyed a resurgent 2025/26 season. However, there are real concerns – Mexico’s squad is rife with injuries. No surprise to see they are trading 100.0 to win Outright.
🇰🇷 South Korea (🔢 FIFA Ranking: 25th)
South Korea qualified through the AFC third round, securing their spot with a convincing 2-0 victory over Iraq, marking their 11th consecutive World Cup appearance. They went unbeaten in World Cup qualifiers, but obviously their qualification is at a reasonably low level. At their level, you could say that their squad is genuinely exciting but in general terms they will be out of their depth at this World Cup. They are close to 500.0 to win it. Son Heung-min (pictured below) is still the star of the team, but even getting out of the Group will be an achievement I think. However, it feels like they have a straight shootout with Czechia, and to be honest Son will be the danger man in this Group.
🇨🇿 Czechia (🔢 FIFA Ranking: 41st)
This is the first time Czechia will be participating in the World Cup since 2006, which only adds more motivation for them to perform. They came through the UEFA playoff rounds, beating Denmark 3-1 on penalties after a tight 2-2 playoff final in Prague. They had plenty of drama to get here, beating Republic of Ireland on penalties too! It was a gutsy, resilient performance all through the playoffs that tells you exactly what this side is about. They are quite limited though, and they were six points behind Croatia in the group stages before the playoffs. Their goal will be to grind out results; they are likely going to be very difficult to beat, but it’s hard to see them blowing sides away.
🇿🇦 South Africa (🔢 FIFA Ranking: 60th)
South Africa are back at the World Cup for the first time since hosting it in 2010 and their qualification was hard-earned. Their CAF qualification campaign lacked consistency, needing late results to edge top spot by one point. Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams (pictured below) is arguably the most influential figure in the squad, when your goalkeeper is often man of the match, it’s never really a good sign! They are the outsiders of Group A. Burnley striker Lyle Foster provides their main attacking outlet. Midfield discipline and defensive organisation remain central to South Africa’s approach. They will likely sit back and try to play for draws; it’ll be interesting to see can they get any results because apart from Mexico, no one here is going to have the ability to blow them away.
Group A Betting Prediction
Who Will Top Group A And Who Will Qualify From Group A?
Mexico are currently marginally odds on to top Group A trading around 1.93, and then you have South Korea and Czechia around the same price at 4.5 and then the outsiders are South Africa are 12.5 or bigger. Home advantage is the major factor for Mexico here, and while exciting will be high given we open the tournament with this Group, it is quite limited. You simply cannot underestimate playing all three games on home soil, with the Azteca crowd behind them and the altitude doing the work for them too. But there is a real case to be made that the market has overcooked their price; the 1.93 doesn’t exactly jump off the page as good value.
Going by the betting, the race for second is genuinely open. South Korea and Czechia prices are nearly identically. Obviously we have eight best third teams too, so only four third placed sides from the group stage will miss out. We have a massive World Cup, and eight third placed sides advancing only adds to that too. Czechia will be the most awkward side in this group for everyone to deal with – their organisation, physicality and set-piece threat makes them a nightmare to face in a short group stage. I don’t give South Africa much chance here, and I feel South Korea at 4.5 to win the group is the price that jumps out. They have the talent and style to be a dangerous underdog. If Mexico fluff their lines in the opener against South Africa, then that opens the Group up massively. South Korea’s pace in wide areas and quick transitions could trouble structured teams, and a strong start could see them challenge for top spot rather than simply settling for qualification – I’m happy with a small bet at around 4.5 to win Group A.
The Ultra Says:
One point win South Korea Group A winner at around 4.5 on BETDAQ EXCHANGE WORLD CUP
