Mexico enter World Cup 2026 Round of 32 after edging South Korea 1-0

Mexico became the first team from Group A to book a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 after a narrow 1-0 victory over South Korea at Estadio Akron on June 19.

The result ensured progression to the knockout stage and also marked a milestone for the hosts, who recorded three consecutive World Cup wins for the first time in their history.

Despite both sides entering the match with victories from their opening fixtures, the contest lacked intensity for much of the first half. Mexico created the better opportunities, with Julián Quiñones testing goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu after being picked out by Roberto Alvarado, but the South Korean shot-stopper produced a sharp save to keep the scores level.

South Korea struggled to carve out clear chances, while Son Heung-min's early attacking threat was cut short by an offside decision. With the Czech Republic and South Africa having shared the points earlier in the day, neither side appeared willing to take major risks before the break.

The decisive moment arrived five minutes into the second half following a costly mistake from Kim. The goalkeeper failed to gather a routine ball inside the penalty area, allowing Luis Romo to capitalise and calmly loft the ball into an unguarded net for his first goal in a major international tournament.

South Korea found it difficult to respond and rarely troubled the Mexican defence until the closing stages. Substitute Cho Gue-sung came closest to levelling the score, but his close-range effort was kept out by an impressive save from goalkeeper Raúl Rangel.

Mexico successfully protected their advantage to claim all three points and strengthen their chances of finishing top of Group A. The victory also extended El Tri's perfect World Cup record against Asian opposition to six wins from six matches.

South Korea remain in contention for a place in the knockout rounds but will need a positive result against South Africa in their final group-stage fixture to keep qualification firmly within their control.