Mexico vs South Africa prediction 11.06.2026 | World Cup

Mexico are among the World Cup's most regular participants. However, they have not advanced beyond the Round of 16 in four decades and will be aiming to end that streak in the upcoming tournament. Mexico are in a favorable group with South Korea, the Czech Republic, and South Africa, and while Javier Aguirre's team should finish among the top two and advance to the knockout phase, none of those games will be a walk in the park. 

Mexico were excellent lately with eight games in a row without defeat. In the final test before the tournament, they crushed Serbia 5-1. Aguirre's dominated throughout the game, limiting the guests to only 0.45 xG, while the hosts ended up with 2.26. 

Although Mexico seems to be the best team in Group A, they are far from perfect. They tend to play 4-3-3, have a high percentage of ball possession, and should control all three games in the group phase. However, they lack creativity and rarely enter into the box with a lot of players. 

Edson Alvarez is their key player. He frequently drops into the defensive line to help build attacks from the back. Also, the defensive midfielder fills the gap in the defensive line as Mexico's full-backs tend to go high up front when the team has possession. A big role should have striker Raul Jimenez, who had ten goals and three assists for Fulham last season. He drops a lot in midfield and helps in organizing the offense. However, Jimenez is 35 years old, and it is a big question how much he can offer. 

Mexico's big strength is their defense. When the opponent has the ball, they often defend in a 4-5-1 formation, or even with five in the defensive line, with Alvarez dropping between the center-backs. Mexico conceded only two goals in the previous eight games and will look to continue with another defensive masterpiece on Thursday against South Africa. 

South Africa haven't played at the World Cup since 2010, when they were the hosts. Hugo Broos' team is probably the worst in Group A, but they have some qualities that could create so many problems for the other three teams and even sneak into the knockout phase. 

Although South Africa have an interesting team, they haven't played well recently, going five games without a victory. In the weeks before the World Cup, they played 0-0 against Nicaragua and drew 1-1 with Jamaica in the final test. It is clear that South Africa scheduled friendlies against two CONCACAF opponents to prepare for Mexico. However, their main weakness was once again evident: a serious lack of firepower in attack.

South Africa doesn't have any player in midfield who can create easy opportunities for the team's best player, Lyle Foster. The forward, who scored three goals for Burnley last season, is too often left alone with a lot of defenders around him and will have big problems getting into a good position to score. South Africa's wingers are helping a lot in defense, but are often too low, leaving Foster without enough support. 

South Africa's biggest strength is probably their head coach, Hugo Broos. The Belgian who has the African Cup of Nations trophy with Cameroon and three domestic championship titles with Club Brugge and Anderlecht is doing a marvelous job with South Africa. His team usually plays 4-2-3-1, but they adapt tremendously. Broos is not afraid to make tactical adjustments during matches, often changing the system on the fly while still keeping his side organized and difficult to break down.