This opening match at the famous Azteca venue will mirror the opener from 2010, when Bafana Bafana tied 1-1 with Mexico. Mexico's knockout phase history at the global tournament includes just a single victory, achieved against Bulgaria when they previously were hosts in 1986. Their coach, Javier Aguirre, played as an attacker in that squad and will be aiming for a third quarter-final berth as tournament hosts. South Africa, led by veteran Belgian manager Hugo Broos, qualified for their initial finals since they hosted, ending above Nigeria and Benin even after having a victory over Lesotho given against them for fielding an ineligible footballer.
It will mark South Korea's 11th straight finals qualification. Icon Hong Myung-bo played in four of those, and came third in the Best Player voting when South Korea made the last four in 2002. He is now their manager and guided them without a loss through a far from straightforward qualifying section. The final side in Group A will be the winner of a European playoff featuring the Czech Republic, Denmark, North Macedonia, or the Republic of Ireland.
Canada have made it for the global finals twice and, although Qatar 2022 yielded their first goal, it did not deliver their first-ever point. Jesse Marsch is the manager of arguably the best group of players in their nation's history, with stars like Jonathan David at Juventus and Alphonso Davies at Bayern Munich. How favorable the draw looks hinges largely on whether the Italian national team make it through the UEFA playoff (the other three contenders are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, and Wales).
Following failing to qualify in 1998 and 2002, the Swiss have navigated the group stage in four of the past five World Cups and were last-eight participants at the last two European Championships. Murat Yakin’s side qualified without defeat from arguably the most straightforward of the UEFA groups and, with veterans like Ricardo Rodriguez and Granit Xhaka, boast individuals aiming to play at their fourth World Cups. The Qatari team, having ended up in fourth in their third phase qualifying group, were handed a significant boost by being selected as a host for the fourth phase and secured progress with a 2-1 win over the UAE. Julen Lopetegui’s squad is selected exclusively from the Qatari league.
Scotland's return to the World Cup in 28 years bears a lot like their last outing, when they lost to the Seleção and Morocco; Haiti take the spot of Norway. Their aim will be to progress to the elimination stage for the first time after eight previous group-stage exits. Haiti’s only prior finals, in 1974, was remembered less for their three losses than for the ordeal that befell midfielder Ernst Jean-Joseph who, after testing positive in a drugs test, was assaulted by Haitian army officers before being deported. They will have limited traveling support due to a travel ban from the USA.
Carlo Ancelotti took over as Brazil’s third coach in a qualification campaign that featured a run of three successive losses, but there is minimal jeopardy in South American qualifying these days. He has presided over a noticeable upturn in form. Semi-finalists in Qatar in 2022, Morocco appear the strongest of the north African nations, capable both of dominating rivals and playing on the counter, qualifying with a perfect record.
At the start of last year, the USA seemed in a dismal condition, suffering defeats to Panama and Canada in the Concacaf Nations League and to Turkey and Switzerland in friendly matches. But over the last year, Mauricio Pochettino has seemingly begun to get his message understood and in November the USA defeated Paraguay before routing Uruguay 5-1 in friendlies. They will begin against the Paraguayan side, who are playing in their 6th World Cup. They have secured one game at each of the prior five, a record that has led to both group-stage eliminations and a last-eight appearance. Their familiar defensive approach has not altered: they managed only 14 goals in their 18 games in South American qualification.
This is not the most fluent Australian side and their roster lacks clear superstars, but in spite of an shaky beginning to the third phase of Asian qualifying, Tony Popovic’s side made it by defeating Japan at home and Saudi Arabia away under intense pressure in their final two fixtures. The group’s fourth team will emerge from the winner of the European playoff C (Kosovo, Romania, Slovakia, or Turkey).
After back-to-back group-stage eliminations, Die Mannschaft are no longer the feared force of old. The shift to a more attacking style has introduced a vulnerability and the draw initially looked like posing a huge test to Julian Nagelsmann’s side. Ecuador were the revelations of qualifying, finishing in second place behind Argentina in South America. Although they netted only 14 goals in 18 games, a defence including Willian Pacho of Paris Saint-Germain and Piero Hincapié of Arsenal, protected by Chelsea’s Moisés Caicedo, let in a mere five.
Ivory Coast live in a state of permanent pessimism, where nothing is ever quite successful as the golden squad of 15-20 years ago. But since taking charge during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, head coach Emerse Faé has proved transformative. After an implausible continental triumph on home soil, Côte d’Ivoire were clinical in qualifying, scoring 25 goals and conceding none.
The tiniest country ever to qualify, Curaçao, were the fourth team drawn, however, making the group look a lot far less intimidating than it could have been.
Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands side maybe lack the galacticos of past Dutch eras, but they qualified without losing and Memphis Depay, who bagged eight goals in qualification, always looks a more effective player with his country's side than at domestic level. They begin against Japan, who will participate in their eighth successive World Cup, and were by some way the most dominant of the Asian sides in qualifying, suffering one of their 16 games across the two groups, with a combined goal difference of 54-3.
Tunisia secured of a third consecutive finals berth by dominating a straightforward qualification section, accumulating 28 points of a available 30. Sami Trabelsi’s team are perhaps not as dour as some previous Tunisian sides; they had a staggering 14 separate goalscorers in qualification. If Graham Potter’s Sweden progress through the European playoff (against Ukraine in the semi, then either Poland or Albania in the final), that will create a repeat of the group game in Dortmund in 1974 when Johan Cruyff first performed the famous Cruyff Turn.
The Belgian Red Devils and Egypt are emerging from the shadow of their most talented generations. Rudi Garcia’s Belgium were erratic in qualifying, scoring the net eight times but letting in five in two wins over Wales, finding goals easily at times, but also struggling to a 1-1 draw away to Kazakhstan.
Egypt are the most successful side in African football history, but having failed to qualify during their golden period 15-20 years ago, they have never fully done themselves justice on the world stage. Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush give them attacking threat, but it was a defence that conceded only twice in 10 games that ensured they qualified unbeaten.
A reserved place for Oceania effectively meant a spot at the finals for New Zealand, who cruised through qualifying, winning five games out of five, netting 29 goals, nine of them by Chris Wood, but they are the lowest FIFA-ranked side to have booked their place in North America next summer. Team Melli, who were defeated only once in a tricky third-round qualification group, are on a list of restricted nations, potentially
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