This initial fixture at the historic Azteca Stadium will replay the opener from 2010, when Bafana Bafana tied 1-1 with El Tri. Mexico's elimination phase history at the worldwide tournament features just a single victory, achieved against Bulgaria when they last hosted in 1986. The coach, Javier Aguirre, played as an attacker in that squad and will be targeting a third-ever last-eight berth as tournament hosts. The South African side, coached by experienced Belgian manager Hugo Broos, qualified for their initial World Cup since hosting, finishing above Nigeria and Benin even after having a victory over Lesotho given against them for fielding an suspended player.
This will mark South Korea's eleventh successive World Cup appearance. Legend Hong Myung-bo played in four of those, and finished in third place in the Golden Ball award when South Korea reached the last four in 2002. He is now their coach and led them without a loss through a far from easy qualifying group. The fourth team in Group A will be the winner of a UEFA qualifying play-off featuring the Czech Republic, Denmark, North Macedonia, or the Republic of Ireland.
The Canadian team have qualified for the World Cup twice and, while Qatar 2022 brought their first goal, it did not bring their first finals point. Jesse Marsch is the head coach of probably the best group of players in their nation's history, with key men like Jonathan David at Juventus and Alphonso Davies at Bayern Munich. How favorable the group appears hinges mostly on whether the Italian national team make it through the UEFA play-off (the other three teams are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, and Wales).
After failing to qualify in 1998 and 2002, the Swiss have got through the initial phase in four of the past five tournaments and were quarter-finalists at the last two European Championships. Murat Yakin’s side booked their ticket unbeaten from arguably the most straightforward of the UEFA groups and, with veterans like Ricardo Rodriguez and Granit Xhaka, boast individuals aiming to play at their fourth finals. The Qatari team, having finished in fourth in their third-round qualification section, were given a significant advantage by being chosen as a host for the final phase and clinched qualification with a 2-1 victory over the UAE. Julen Lopetegui’s squad is selected exclusively from the Qatari league.
Scotland's return to the finals in 28 years looks a lot like their last outing, when they were defeated to the Seleção and the Atlas Lions; Haiti occupy the spot of Norway. Their aim will be to make it to the elimination stage for the very first time after 8 previous group phase eliminations. Haiti’s only previous World Cup, in 1974, was remembered less for their three losses than for the fate that happened to midfielder Ernst Jean-Joseph who, after testing positive in a drugs test, was assaulted by Haitian army officers before being sent back. They will have limited traveling support due to a travel ban from the USA.
Carlo Ancelotti became Brazil’s third coach in a qualification process that included a streak of three consecutive defeats, but there is minimal jeopardy in South American qualifying these days. He has presided over a noticeable improvement. Last-four participants in Qatar in 2022, Morocco look the strongest of the north African sides, able both of dominating opponents and playing on the counter, qualifying with a 100% record.
Early last year, the USA seemed in a poor state, losing to Panama and Canada in the Concacaf Nations League and to Turkey and Switzerland in friendlies. But over the past year, Mauricio Pochettino has seemingly begun to get his ideas understood and in November the USA beat Paraguay before thrashing Uruguay 5-1 in exhibition games. They will begin against the Paraguayan side, who are competing in their 6th World Cup. They have won one game at each of the prior five, a statistic that has led to both group phase eliminations and a quarter-final place. Their familiar cautious approach has not changed: they managed only 14 goals in their 18 games in South American qualification.
This is not the most free-flowing Australia side and their roster lacks clear superstars, but in spite of an iffy start to the third phase of Asian qualification, Tony Popovic’s side made it by defeating Japan at home and Saudi Arabia away under intense pressure in their last two matches. The pool's fourth team will come from the winner of the European Play-off C (Kosovo, Romania, Slovakia, or Turkey).
After successive group phase eliminations, Die Mannschaft are no longer the feared force of old. The transition to a more attacking philosophy has introduced a vulnerability and the group initially looked like posing a huge test to Julian Nagelsmann’s side. Ecuador were the surprise package of qualifying, ending up in second place behind Argentina in South America. Although they netted only 14 goals in 18 games, a defence including Willian Pacho of Paris Saint-Germain and Piero Hincapié of Arsenal, protected by Chelsea’s Moisés Caicedo, conceded a mere five.
Ivory Coast live in a state of constant pessimism, where nothing is ever quite successful as the golden generation of 15-20 years ago. But since taking charge during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, head coach Emerse Faé has proved inspirational. After an implausible continental success on home soil, Côte d’Ivoire were clinical in qualification, netting 25 goals and conceding reply.
The tiniest country ever to reach the finals, Curaçao, were the fourth team picked, though, making the group look a lot less daunting than it might have appeared.
Ronald Koeman’s Dutch side maybe do not possess the galacticos of previous Dutch generations, but they secured qualification without losing and Memphis Depay, who scored eight goals in qualifying, always appears a more effective player with his country's side than at domestic level. They begin against the Japanese team, who will play in their eighth consecutive finals, and were by far the most impressive of the Asian nations in qualification, losing one of their 16 games over the two phases, with a combined goal difference of 54-3.
Tunisia secured of a third consecutive finals berth by topping a straightforward qualifying group, accumulating 28 points of a possible 30. Sami Trabelsi’s team are perhaps not as dour as some past Tunisian teams; they had a remarkable 14 separate goalscorers in qualifying. If Graham Potter’s Sweden make it through the European play-off (against Ukraine in the semi-final, then either Poland or Albania in the final), that will create a rematch of the group game in Dortmund in 1974 when Johan Cruyff first executed the iconic Cruyff Turn.
Belgium and the Pharaohs are moving on from the legacy of their most talented generations. Rudi Garcia’s Belgium were erratic in qualifying, scoring the net eight times but letting in five in two wins over Wales, finding goals freely at times, but also laboring to a 1-1 draw away to Kazakhstan.
Egypt are the most successful side in African history, but having not managed to qualify during their peak period 15-20 years ago, they have never quite fulfilled their potential on the global stage. Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush give them attacking threat, but it was a defensive unit that conceded just twice in 10 games that ensured they qualified undefeated.
A reserved place for Oceania effectively equated to a spot at the finals for New Zealand, who sailed through qualification, winning five games out of five, scoring 29 goals, nine of them by Chris Wood, but they are the lowest FIFA-ranked side to have booked their place in North America next summer. Team Melli, who lost once in a tricky third-round qualification group, are on a travel ban, potentially
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