World Cup Picks: Group A Winner Odds, Preview & Prediction

The countdown is nearly over, as there are just weeks to go before the start of the 2026 World Cup. Action at this summer’s festival of soccer kicks off with the action in Group A, but can Mexico overcome the Czech Republic, South Korea, and South Africa to secure progression through to the next round? You can find our World Cup Picks for Group A here.

World Cup: Group A Winner Odds

Group A World Cup Schedule

Matchday 1

• Mexico vs. South Africa (June 11)
• South Korea vs. Czech Republic (June 11)

Matchday 2

• Czech Republic vs. South Africa (June 18)
• Mexico vs. South Korea (June 18)

Matchday 3

• Czech Republic vs. Mexico (June 24)
• South Africa vs. South Korea (June 24)

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World Cup Group A Teams

Mexico

Javier Aguirre’s Mexico will be the favorite in the Group Winner betting for the World Cup, as the nation will have home field advantage for all three of their fixtures. El Tri have a rich history at the World Cup, reaching at least the round of 16 in seven of the editions since 1994.

Guilermo Ochoa and Raul Jimenez ensure that the nation has experience at both ends of the field, with the latter scoring an impressive 44 goals in 123 international appearances. Results this calendar year have been impressive, winning four of their six matches, while credible draws against Portugal and Belgium show their ability to compete against higher-ranked opposition.

Czech Republic

Miroslav Koubek will lead the Czech Republic into their first World Cup since 2006, but plenty of positives can be taken from their recent performances at the EUROs, including an excellent run to the quarterfinals in 2021.

Patrik Schick is a reliable scorer for the national team, netting 25 in just 52 appearances. Czechia upset the odds to reach the World Cup, overcoming Denmark in a pulsating playoff earlier this year. Their strength will be their defensive record, as Koubek’s team will look to rely on their prowess from set-pieces.

South Korea

South Korea will be one of the most-followed teams at this summer’s World Cup, with thousands of passionate fans from Asia travelling to watch the team. Hong Myung-bo’s Red Devils are stacked with experienced internationals, headlined by LAFC superstar Heung Min Son.

However, the aging nature of the squad would be a concern in the summer heat in the Americas, and their counter-attacking style of play may struggle. Recent results have also been concerning, losing back-to-back games against the Ivory Coast and Austria without scoring.

South Africa

For the first time since hosting the World Cup in 2010, South Africa are back on the global stage. Hugo Broos will be aware that his side with be huge outsiders to progress, despite qualifying impressively with five wins from ten fixtures.

Their momentum has stalled somewhat since then, enduring a miserable Africa Cup of Nations campaign, which saw them crash out in the round of 16. Defensively, they will need to improve to be competitive this summer, as Bafana Bafana have allowed at least two goals in three of their previous four internationals.

World Cup Group A Winner Picks

Mexico are an incredibly short price favorite to win Group A, but they may be involved in a winner-take-all showdown with the Czech Republic on matchday three. We could foresee both nations winning back-to-back games, before a low-scoring draw sees Mexico go through on goal difference.