Mexico vs South Korea Tips, Odds & Prediction: World Cup 2026

* Odds supplied by Betway, accurate when this preview was written.

Mexico host South Korea at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara on Friday, kicking off at 03:00 CAT. Both nations won their first Group A games, so this clash between the two early leaders could do a lot to decide who ends up top of the group. You can find every one of our World Cup betting tips in our dedicated section.

Mexico

Javier Aguirre has Mexico in fine shape following a composed opening victory over South Africa, in which Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez both scored. I believe the front three of Alvarado, Jimenez and Gimenez has the quality to open up a well drilled Korean back line, and they also proved against South Africa that they can keep the ball high up the pitch. Aguirre has no new fitness concerns, but Cesar Montes is unavailable after the defender was sent off late on in the World Cup opener. In my view Mexico will have most of the ball and carve out the better chances at Estadio Akron.

Expected Lineup: Ochoa; Reyes, Lira, Vasquez, Gallardo; Fidalgo, Gutierrez; Alvarado, Jimenez, Gimenez.

South Korea

South Korea showed plenty of fight to recover from a goal behind and beat Czechia, as Hwang In-beom and Oh Hyeon-gyu turned things around. Son Heung-min ran the show even though he did not score, and together with Lee Kang-in he hands Hong Myung-bo two playmakers who can punish any team on the counter. Kim Min-jae leads a defence that must be at its sharpest against the Mexican press, and the squad has no new injury issues. As I see it, Korea are lethal on the break but could spend long periods pinned back in this game.

Expected Lineup: Kim Seung-gyu; Lee Han-beom, Kim Min-jae, Lee Gi-hyuk; Seol Young-woo, Hwang In-beom, Paik Seung-ho, Lee Tae-seok; Lee Kang-in, Son Heung-min, Lee Jae-sung

Both sides scored in their first games and both have real attacking quality, so I am not sure this will be the easy home win the Mexico price implies. I think Mexico will just shade it thanks to more control and home support, but with players like Son and Lee Kang-in working their magic, South Korea could well grab a goal on the counter. My forecast: Mexico 2 South Korea 1.

BTTS: Yes (2.06)

Mexico kept a clean sheet against nine men in their first game, but South Korea will pose a much bigger attacking challenge with Son and Lee Kang-in on the field. Korea scored twice against Czechia and are a real danger on the transition, while Mexico will push players forward in front of their home crowd. I think both teams scoring at odds better than even money is the best value in this market.