Mexico advanced to the FIFA World Cup round of 32 as Group A winners after defeating the Czech Republic 3-0 in their final group-stage match on Wednesday. The co-hosts finished the group stage with a perfect nine points from three matches. Mateo Chávez opened the scoring in the 55th minute before Julián Quiñones doubled Mexico’s lead six minutes later.
Álvaro Fidalgo added a third goal in stoppage time to complete the victory and eliminate the Czech Republic from the tournament. This achievement marked the first time Mexico won all three of its World Cup group-stage matches.
South Africa secured the second qualifying spot with a 1-0 victory over South Korea. The victory lifted Bafana Bafana from fourth to second place in Group A. Teboho Mokoena scored the only goal in the 63rd minute to seal the win. This result brought their total to four points, one point ahead of South Korea.
South Africa reached the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time in its history. The team had failed to advance from the group stage in 1998, 2002, and as host in 2010. South Africa will face Canada in the round of 32 on Sunday.
Morocco won their last group stage game and flew to the next round. The Atlas Lions defeated Haiti 4-2 in their final Group C match. Morocco’s evening began poorly when goalkeeper Yassine Bounou inadvertently put the ball into his own net in the 10th minute, handing Haiti an early lead. Captain Achraf Hakimi leveled the score in the 39th minute.
Haiti regained the advantage four minutes later through Wilson Isidore, but Ismael Saibari scored deep into first-half stoppage time to make it 2-2. Sofiane Rahimi put Morocco ahead in the 78th minute, and Yassine Jessim sealed the victory in the 89th minute. Morocco finished second in Group C on goal difference behind Brazil.
Neymar played his first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup for Brazil in the 3-0 win against Scotland. Vinicius Junior scored twice, and Matheus Cunha also scored as Brazil defeated Scotland 3-0. Vinicius opened the scoring in the seventh minute before adding a second just before halftime.
Matheus Cunha added Brazil’s third goal in the 60th minute. Neymar, Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 international goals, entered the match in the 75th minute. It was his first appearance for the national team since suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in October 2023. Brazil finished top of Group C with seven points.
