Today the 23rd World Football Championship kicks off. The first match in Group A starts in Mexico, one of the host countries of the championship.
There are four teams in this group: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, and the Czech Republic.
Medianews.az reports that the majority of the Group A stage matches will be held in Mexico. Two matches will take place in Mexico City, two in Guadalajara, and one in Monterrey. The only match played outside Mexico will be between the Czech Republic and South Africa on June 18 in Atlanta, USA.
Two games of the Mexican national team will be held at the famous "Azteca" stadium, which hosted the World Cup final matches in 1970 and 1986 and was recently renovated.
Medianews.az presents profiles of the teams competing in Group A to the readers.
Mexico
Hosting the world championship again after 40 years, the Mexican national team was eliminated at the group stage of the World Cup held in Qatar in 2022. Between 1994 and 2018, they were eliminated consecutively at the round of 16 stage seven times.
The Mexican national team has only reached the quarterfinals twice – in 1970 and 1986 (in both cases, the World Cup it hosted).
Currently, one of the key players the team relies on is 17-year-old midfielder Gilberto Mora. Last year, at the age of 16, he made history as the youngest player to ever play for the Mexican national team.
Experienced specialist Javier Aguirre, now leading the team for the third time, has been the head coach since 2024.
In a statement to FIFA's official website, Aguirre said: “I consider myself lucky. I am grateful every day to be here doing what I love. I am Mexican, and the most magnificent moment of my coaching career is approaching. There is no greater feeling than playing in a World Cup held in your own country as a player.”
South Africa
South Africa hosted the World Football Championship in 2010. Although they achieved a sensational 2-1 victory over France at that time, they were the first host nation to be eliminated at the group stage.
Currently, the South African national team is participating in the World Cup for the first time since 2010.
The South African team also participated in the World Cup in 1998 and 2002, but did not progress to the playoff stages in either tournament.
The team that surpassed Nigeria in the African zone qualification round has managed to qualify for the World Cup this time.
Since 2021, the team has been coached by Belgian specialist Hugo Broos. The core of the team is made up of players competing in local championships.
South Korea
South Korea is the team from Asia with the most appearances in the World Cup. Koreans have qualified for the World Cup for the 12th time.
The team's most successful result was in 2002, when they co-hosted the tournament with Japan. At that time, South Korea finished in fourth place.
However, since then the South Korean national team has not advanced beyond the round of 16. In the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar, the team finished second in the group behind Portugal and was defeated by Brazil 4-1 in the round of 16.
Having completed the Asian qualifying round undefeated, the Koreans have had poor results in recent friendly matches. Last month, the team lost 4-0 to Ivory Coast and 1-0 to Austria.
The team's main star and captain is currently Son Heung-min, who plays for the Los Angeles football club. Other notable players on the team are PSG midfielder Lee Kang-in and Bayern defender Kim Min-jae.
Head coach Hong Myung-bo has been at the helm of the South Korean national team for the second time since 2024. The former defender was the captain of the team that reached the semifinals in 2002.
Czech Republic
The Czech national team is participating in the World Cup for the first time since 2006. The team qualified by defeating Denmark in the European zone playoff in a penalty shootout.
The Czechs participated among the high-ranking teams in the 2006 World Cup but could not advance from the group that included Italy, Ghana, and the USA.
35-year-old former captain Vladimir Darida has returned to the national team and contributed to the team's qualification for the World Cup. He had ended his national team career after the 2021 European Championship.
The team's head coach is 74-year-old Miroslav Koubek, who replaced Ivan Hašek after a 2-1 loss to the Faroe Islands late last year.