Mexico and South Korea enjoyed winning starts to their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaigns, securing important victories in their opening group-stage matches on Thursday.
South Korea produced a spirited comeback to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 at Estadio Guadalajara. Despite dominating much of the contest, the Koreans fell behind in the 59th minute when Czech captain Ladislav Krejci headed home from a long throw delivered by Vladimir Coufal.
The setback did not derail Hong Myung-bo’s side. Midfielder Hwang In-beom brought South Korea level eight minutes later after being set up by Lee Kang-in. Showing great composure, Hwang evaded goalkeeper Matej Kovar with a clever feint before lofting the ball into an empty net.
The Czech Republic thought they had regained the lead in the 78th minute through Tomas Soucek, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Just two minutes later, South Korea completed the turnaround when substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu tapped in a cross from Hwang to seal a memorable victory.
The result marked South Korea’s first winning start to a World Cup campaign in four editions.
Meanwhile, hosts Mexico opened their tournament with a comfortable 2-0 victory over South Africa. Goals from Julian Quiñones and Raul Jimenez ensured a successful start for El Tri, although the win was slightly overshadowed by Cesar Montes’ late red card.
Speaking after the match, Quiñones expressed his delight at scoring and celebrated the moment with his teammates on the bench. He also praised Jimenez for netting his first World Cup goal, highlighting the striker’s importance to the national team.
However, Quiñones admitted that Montes’ dismissal was a costly mistake that could have been avoided.
With both teams collecting three points, Mexico and South Korea have laid strong foundations for their World Cup campaigns and will look to build momentum in their upcoming fixtures.
