Mexico vs Korea: World Cup Key to Round of 32

“Overall, Mexico is the most threatening.”

After the group composition for the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup was confirmed on the 6th (Korean time), national soccer team coach Hong Myung-bo selected Mexico as the team to be most wary of among Korea’s opponents. Mexico was placed in Pot 1 in this draw as the host country (USA, Canada, Mexico) of the North and Central American World Cup.

Korea is placed in Group A with South Africa and the winner of the European Playoff (PO) Pass D (Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Ireland) and aims to advance to the round of 32. The final winner of the European PO Pass D will be decided in March next year.

Meeting Mexico in Pot 1, where the top teams in the FIFA rankings are concentrated, is a good result for Korea. It can be said that we were lucky to meet South Africa, which was relatively underpowered among African teams. Among the European teams that must be met, meeting a team that is playing PO has the disadvantage of having a short preparation period, but it also has advantages. It is expected that the teams competing in the PO match in March next year will give their all, making a clear analysis of their strength possible.

The team that holds the key to Korea’s advancement to the round of 32 is Mexico.

After the group draw, Coach Hong Myung-bo pointed out Mexico as the most threatening opponent and explained, “This is because the home team has a huge advantage. If you think about when we played (World Cup) games at home in the past, a lot of things come out beyond just skill.”

Korea played an evaluation match with Mexico in the United States last September. The result was a 2-2 draw. At this time, having some practical experience is expected to be helpful.

Above all, what stands out is that the ‘tough relationship’ between Mexican and Korean soccer has been renewed.

Korea is already meeting Mexico for the third time in the World Cup finals. In the past, they faced Mexico in the first round of the 1998 France World Cup (lost 1-3) and the second round of the 2018 Russia World Cup (lost 1-2). In the World Cup in France, Ha Seok-joo scored the first goal and lost. The scene where Mexico’s Blanco almost toyed with Korea with his ‘frog dribble’, in which he jumped with the ball between his legs, still remains in the memories of many soccer fans.

During the Russian World Cup, Korea was dragged to Mexico, but Son Heung-min scored a consolation goal. It was Son Heung-min’s second career goal in the World Cup finals.

This North and Central America World Cup match against Mexico is the second match of the group stage and will be held in Guadalajara on June 19, 2026. It is of interest to see what memorable scenes will emerge and what the results will be.

Director Hong Myung-bo has some bad memories related to Mexico. He was the starting center back and played full-time during the 1998 France World Cup upset defeat against Mexico. He also had the experience of being defeated 0-4 as a coach in an evaluation match held in San Antonio, USA in January of that year ahead of the 2014 Brazil World Cup.

Meanwhile, there is also a memory of Korea helping Mexico to the round of 16 in the World Cup finals. At the 2018 Russian World Cup, Korea and Mexico were in Group F. Korea beat Germany 2-0 in the final match, and Germany was eliminated, so Mexico advanced to the round of 16 along with Sweden. At the time, a familiarity with Korean soccer was formed in Mexico, to the point where the cheering slogan “Koreans are brothers” was popular. However, when facing Korea as an enemy in the World Cup held at home, threatening home cheering is expected.

Meanwhile, Korea may feel uncomfortable meeting the host country, Mexico, in Group A, but if it performs better than expected in Group A, it is a match that will give it an advantage in later tournaments.

If Korea ranks first in Group A, it will meet one of the top three teams in Groups C, E, F, I, and J. Candidates include Scotland (Group C), Ivory Coast (Group E), Senegal (Group I), and Algeria (Group J). In this case, the travel distance will be shorter because the round of 32 will be held in Mexico City.

Reporter Lee Eun-kyung