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Mexico became the first team to secure a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout stage after defeating South Korea 1-0 on Thursday, capitalizing on a costly defensive error to maintain its perfect start in Group A.
Luis Romo scored the decisive goal in the 50th minute after South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu collided with defender Lee Gi-hyuk and spilled the ball inside the penalty area. Romo reacted quickest to slot into the empty net and hand Mexico a second consecutive victory on home soil.
The result sparked celebrations across Mexico as El Tri moved to six points from two matches.
, guaranteeing qualification for the round of 32 in the expanded 48-team tournament.
Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel preserved the lead with a stunning double save in the 87th minute. He first denied Cho Gue-sung’s close-range header before stretching out his right arm to stop Yang Hyun-jun’s rebound attempt on the goal line.
“It was very quick, it was pure reaction,” Rangel said. “I couldn’t really tell you what I saw.”
Mexico tops Group A with six points, three ahead of South Korea, while Czechia and South Africa each have one point following their 1-1 draw earlier in the day.
“We’ve been doing very well,” Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said. “It wasn’t a great match, but our opponent didn’t let us do too much. We still managed to score and create other opportunities.”
Mexico opened the tournament with a 2-0 victory over South Africa and has yet to concede a goal.
