Mexico have the home-platform advantage, but this is not a soft group. South Korea have the clearest individual quality outside the host, Czechia can turn matches into physical, low-margin contests, and South Africa can punish teams that underestimate transition moments.
Host advantage should give Mexico control of the emotional tempo of the group, but Javier Aguirre's main task is balance between experience and speed. South Korea look like the most dangerous challenger — Son Heung-min remains the attacking reference point, while Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae give the side elite-level quality.
South Africa are the underdog with a clear mission: sit compact, protect central zones and attack through quick breaks. Czechia will be the awkward European opponent — direct, aerial, compact — who can make any match uncomfortable if it stays tight.
Host advantage should give Mexico control of the emotional tempo of the group. Javier Aguirre's main task is balance: Mexico need enough experience to manage pressure, but enough speed to avoid becoming predictable. Guillermo Ochoa remains part of the selection conversation after appearing on the preliminary list, which keeps the goalkeeper question alive. The opener against South Africa is critical because a win immediately changes the pressure profile for the two harder fixtures.
South Korea look like the most dangerous challenger. Son Heung-min is still the attacking reference point, while Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae give the side elite-level quality in creation and defence. Jens Castrop's inclusion adds physicality and a new squad storyline. The main risk is fitness and rhythm around key midfielders, especially if Hwang In-beom is not fully sharp. Their Mexico match may decide whether they fight for first or second.
South Africa are the underdog, but their role is not passive. They can sit compact, protect central zones and attack through quick breaks. Their realistic target is to take points from Czechia or South Korea and then see whether the expanded third-place route opens. They need defensive discipline because this group contains multiple teams that are stronger in structure than in pure chaos.
Czechia are likely to be the awkward European opponent nobody enjoys playing. They should bring directness, aerial presence, set-piece threat and a compact defensive shape. The question is whether they have enough creativity to chase a match if they concede first. Their clearest path is to make the South Korea and South Africa games physical, slow and low-scoring.