2026 World Cup: Mexico vs. South Korea—Probable Lineups

Having both won their opening matches in the 2026 World Cup, Mexico and South Korea will be playing for a real chance to qualify for the Round of 16 as early as the night between Thursday and Friday (Italian time). The match between the Central American hosts and the Asian Tigers will kick off at 3 a.m. Italian time, while it will be 7 p.m. at Akron Stadium in Zapopan (near Guadalajara). Uruguayan referee Tejera will officiate the match.

In the very first match of this World Cup, Mexico made a strong impression against South Africa, winning 2-0 thanks to goals by Julian Quiñones in the 9th minute and Raul Jimenez in the 67th minute. The only downside was the red card shown to Cesar Montes, who will therefore be forced to watch his teammates from the stands. There is curiosity surrounding head coach Javier Aguirre’s lineup choices, especially regarding the attack: Raúl Jiménez is expected to start, while his near-namesake Santiago Giménez, who plays for Milan, is likely to start on the bench, at least initially.

On the other side is South Korea, which has already shown in its first match against the Czech Republic that it is not afraid of challenging situations: Krejci’s goal in the 59th minute did not discourage Hong Myung-bo’s men, who instead staged a comeback with goals from Hwang In-beom in the 67th minute and Oh Hyeon-gyu in the 80th. The most anticipated player, however, remains Son Heung-min, formerly of Tottenham, but the match against the Czechs showed that there are other options when the going gets tough.

Probable Lineups

MEXICO (4-3-3): Rangel; Reyes, Alvarez, Vasquez, Gallardo; Gutierrez, Lira, Mora; Alvarado, Jimenez, Quiñones. Head Coach: Aguirre.

SOUTH KOREA (4-2-3-1): Kim Seung-gyu; Seol Young-woo, Kim Min-jae, Cho Yu-min, Lee Tae-seok; Paik Seung-ho, Hwang In-beom; Lee Kang-in, Lee Jae-sung, Son Heung-min; Oh Hyeon-gyu. Head Coach: Hong Myung-bo.