With its opening clashes against South Africa and South Korea behind them, Mexico returns to the iconic Mexico City Stadium for a high-stakes group finale.
With Memo Ochoa out of the starting XI against South Korea, Mexico secured a 1-0 win against the Asian squad. Now, El Tricolor returns to a renovated Mexico City Stadium for a key game.
Mexico will play against Czechia on June 24 at 9:00 PM (ET). It will be the second game for El Tricolor at Mexico City Stadium, having already secured the top of the group thanks to Luis Romo’s goal following a major mistake by South Korea’s goalkeeper.
Why has Mexico secured the Group A leadership?
The Group A standings after Mexico’s win over South Korea are set. El Tri has six points and tops the group, securing leadership no matter what happens against Czechia.
South Korea has three points, and a potential win against South Africa would tie Mexico in points if El Tricolor loses to Czechia. Nevertheless, the new tie-breaker rules would favor the co-hosts despite a potential tie in points.
Because Mexico defeated South Korea, the co-hosts are favored in the tie-breaker rules, as head-to-head matches are now the primary metric used to define who finishes on top. However, Mexico may not even need to rely on it if it gets a positive result against Czechia in the final game.
Who will Mexico face in the Round of 32?
As Group A leaders, Mexico is set to face a third-placed team from Group C, E, F, H, or I at Mexico City Stadium in the Round of 32. If El Tri wins in that phase, it would return to the capital for the Round of 16.
