Mexico beats Korea to win World Cup group, clinch knockout round: Relive the game – USA Today

GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Cue “El Rey.”
The group stage match between Mexico and South Korea was almost the exact opposite of everything it was supposed to be. It was physical. It was a grind. It was slow to a crawl to the point the Mexican crowd at Estadio Akron eviscerated their team with boos as they walked off the pitch at the half.
But through it all, El Tri found a way.
Luis Romo was the hero after Raul Jiménez bumped a header straight up in the air, drawing South Korea goalkeeper Kim Senggyu out to the penalty spot as he plucked the ball in midair. Kim couldn’t hold onto it on his way down, however, and it rolled right to Romo, who fired it into the back of the open net to take a 1-0 lead in the 50^th minute.
Raúl Rangel emerged as another savior late when he took a cleat to the face in the 86th minute on a save that he inexplicably kept from crossing the plane.
That ended up being the difference as Mexico held on for the win over South Korea, becoming the first team to clinch a spot in the knockout rounds in this year’s World Cup. It’s their first time winning their group outright since 2002; they were tied on points with Brazil in 2014 but were short on goal differential.
These two sides have history dating back to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and they saw each other not too long ago in a friendly that ended in a 2-2 draw.
The legend of San Raúl might have been born tonight. In the 86th minute, Rangel deflected a header from Cho Guesung that bounced off his leg and into the air for Hyun-Jun Yang to take a second attempt at it. Incredibly, the Chivas keeper was able to sit back up and grab the ball just before it crossed the plane, taking a cleat from Yang in the process.
The Jalisco crowded serenaded Rangel with chants of “Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Tala! Tala!” as he got back up and stayed in the match.
Javier Aguirre swaps one offensive threat for another as Raul Jiménez gets a standing ovation while jogging off the pitch. Israel Reyes also checks in for Roberto “El Piojo” Alvarado.
Seung-Ho Paik gets carded for a hard foul on Mexico.
El Tri has finally broken through, and the crowd in Guadalajara has come back to life in the 50th minute. Raul Jiménez nodded a cross from Julián Quiñones straight up in the air. Kim Senggyu came down with it at the penalty spot, but couldn’t hold onto the ball.
Luis Romo took advantage of the open net with an incredible first-touch shot into the back of the net to put Mexico in position to clinch Group A.
The thunderous boos as both teams walked off the pitch after the whistle said it all. Neither Mexico nor Korea have been able to find their footing through the first 45 minutes. South Korea has led the time of possession by a 52-42% split with 6% contested possession. Mexico’s taken three shots with Quiñones’ attempt in the 20th minute the lone shot on goal by either squad.
Mexico has been able to nullify most of South Korea’s explosiveness so far, however, which has to have pleased manager Javier Aguirre.
A minimum of four more minutes will be played in the first half. Neither team has been able to establish much of anything yet, but South Korea has slowly taken over possession of the ball as the half has worn on.
El Tri supporters at Estadio Akron have started to voice their displeasure, booing a perceived lack of action from their national team as the match has stalled over the last 15 minutes.
Quiñones almost had his second goal of the tournament in the 20th minute, but his header was directed right at Senggyu for the easy save.
Edson Álvarez looks to be just fine, judging by that one. The 28-year-old defender came through with a heroic bicycle kick at the goal line to prevent what would’ve been an open net goal for South Korea.
It was all for naught as South Korea was called offsides, but great play by Álvarez nonetheless.
The yellow card hasn’t deterred Korea from being aggressive on defense. Julián Quiñones has been getting manhandled through the first 15 minutes of this one. He’s been able to work some magic just to keep possession, but nothing’s come of it just yet
Lee Kang-in had a yellow pulled on him in the fourth minute after a foul on Luis Romo. Romo was down on the pitch for a couple seconds but got up and remains in the match.
While El Tri announced what uniforms they’d be wearing in each game a couple weeks ago, they officially confirmed they’ll be wearing their all-black alternates against South Korea at Estadio Akron on Thursday night.
The game is airing on Fox, but you can also watch on Fubo or the Fox One App. Spanish-language broadcasts are available on Telemundo and Peacock.
The matchup kicks off at 9:00 PM ET.
The Group A match is being held at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara.
Yes! Telemundo will provide the Spanish-language broadcast of Thursday’s World Cup game between Mexico and South Korea.
Here’s how USA TODAY Sports’ experts envision Thursday’s Mexico vs. South Korea game to play out:
Gilberto Mora made history as the youngest player to ever represent El Tri in a World Cup when he made his debut last Thursday vs. South Africa. As USA TODAY Sports’ Andrés Soto notes, Mora showed flashes of why he belongs with El Tri: quickness with the ball, the sharpness of his cuts and maturity in his decision-making when he found striker Raúl Jiménez with a perfectly timed through-ball into the box.
“Truthfully, I feel really happy, really content to be able to debut in a World Cup,” Mora said in Spanish ahead of Mexico’s second World Cup match against South Korea. “I felt good throughout the match, really happy that I got those minutes the other day.”
Click here to read more about Mora.
Below is a look at how the Group A standings for the World Cup look entering Thursday’s game between Mexico and South Korea:
Here’s a projected look at Mexico’s starting lineup for Thursday’s World Cup game vs. South Korea:
Here’s a projected look at South Korea’s starting lineup for Thursday’s World Cup game vs. Mexico:
Below is Mexico’s full 26-man roster for the World Cup:
Below is South Korea’s full 26-man roster for the World Cup:
If Mexico beats South Korea, it will win Group A and advance to the knockout round and play in the round of 32 in Mexico City on June 30. Here’s what Mexico needed to advance entering the day:
If Mexico draws to South Korea, it won’t be able to clinch a spot in the next stage, but it would remain in a good spot to do so in the final Group A match against Czechia.
If Mexico loses, South Korea would win Group A. While it couldn’t win the group, Mexico would still remain in second place in the standings and have the inside track to be the runner-up in Group A.
If South Korea beats Mexico, it will win Group A and advance to the knockout round and play in the round of 32 in Mexico City on June 30. Here’s what South Korea needed to advance entering the day:
If South Korea and Mexico draw, neither team will clinch a spot in the knockout stage, but South Korea would remain in a good spot to do so in the final Group A match against South Africa.
If South Korea loses, Mexico would win Group A. While it wouldn’t be able to win the group, South Korea can still feel good about its chances to advance since it would still remain in second place in the standings and have the inside track to be the runner-up in Group A.
In need of a Mexico World Cup jersey? Click here to purchase one today.
USA TODAY Sports’ Victoria Hernandez ranked Mexico’s green home kit as the No. 5 best uniform among the 48 teams at the 2026 World Cup. Here’s the reasoning:
“Mexico did a really good job of storytelling between their three kits. The green home kit is a rich green color and has a cool Aztec pattern with red stripes on the neck and sleeves. It harkens back to El Tri’s 1998 World Cup jersey. The away uniform features a white base with a subtle triangle pattern and red and black accents. The black third kit, which also has a geometric print, is incredible as well. Take your pick, you automatically know each kit represents Mexico.”
Below is a look at Mexico’s World Cup schedule:
Below is a look at South Korea’s World Cup schedule:
Mexico picked up a 2-0 win over South Africa in its 2026 World Cup opener last Thursday. Julian Quinones got things started scoring for El Tri by getting one past South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams from just outside the box. Then in the 67th minute as forward Raul Jimenez headed in a cross from Roberto Alvarado for Mexico’s second goal of the game. 
South Korea picked up a 2-1 win over Czechia in its 2026 World Cup opener last Thursday. Hwang In-beom became the third player for South Korea to record a goal and an assist in a World Cup match, with others being Choi Soon-ho against Italy in 1986 and Hong Myung-bo against Spain in 1994.
In-beom had an assist on Oh-Hyeon-Gyu’s game-winning goal in the 80th minute. He scored his goal in the 67th minute. 
Below is a look at how Mexico has fared in recent World Cups:
The 48 competing nations are divided into 12 groups of four. Each group will play a round robin style where teams are awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw. The top two teams in each group advance to the Round of 32 along with the eight best third-place squads. Tiebreakers in the group standings will be resolved using the following criteria:
Explore live group standings, stats and the updated bracket with USA TODAY Sports here.
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