So it’s finally here, the World Cup begins in earnest on Friday as Group A kicks off with two matches in Mexico. I’ve given you my ante-post World Cup wagers, and now it’s time for the day 1 preview as I look at Mexico v South Africa and have a small fancy in the second game between South Korea and Czechia. It’s an interesting group, very open, and that always opens the door to some value, so let’s get it.
Odds provided by Stake.com.
Mexico v South Africa
World Cup Group A, Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico, 9pm CET, Thursday 11th June
Prices: 1.40 Mexico, 4.30 Draw, 8.40 South Africa
Co-hosts Mexico take on South Africa in a repeat of the opening match from the 2010 World Cup which ended in a 1-1 draw. South Africa were the hosts on that occasion when Siphiwe Tshabalala famously opened the scoring, before Mexican legend Rafael Marquez equalised.
Twelve years on, Qatar picked up the unwanted record of becoming the first host nation ever to lose their opening World Cup match in 2022, but I don’t say too much danger of Mexico following suit in 2026. They’re strong favourites for a reason, and South Africa have regressed in recent years, with most of their squad plying their trade in the domestic league.
Mexico meanwhile are represented by a mixture of players playing in the Liga MX and those across Europe and Asia, including AC Milan’s Santiago Jimenez and Raul Jimenez, now back at Wolves, expected to lead the line. The player I’m most looking forward to watching here is Gilberto Mora, the 17-year old who’s already been capped eight times and started the CONCACAF Gold Cup final last year. He looks a supreme talent and can put himself in the shop window on the biggest of all stages.
The co-hosts are unbeaten in eight matches this year, and with their football mad nation watching on, I look forward to sampling the atmosphere without a play on the opener this time around.
South Korea v Czechia
World Cup Group A, Estadio Guadalajara, Zapopan, Mexico, 4am CET, Friday 12th June
Prices: 2.65 South Korea, 3.10 Draw, 2.80 Czechia
The second of the Group A matches sees South Korea take on Czechia in an intriguing clash. Czechia came through two penalty shootouts in the play-offs to get here, while South Korea qualified serenely and that probably explains why the far-eastern nation are slight favourites here. South Korea still boast a number of top talents, including Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, Lee Kang-in and Hwang Hee-chan so they clearly have the class edge on their opponents. However, they were trounced in a recent friendly with Ivory Coast and also lost to Austria, so their preparation hasn’t been ideal.
The battle hardened Czechs will have gained a lot from their play-off success, and having missed out on the World Cup since 2010, will be determined to make an impact in North America this time around. Pavel Sulc is a player that made a real impact at Lyon this season, scoring eleven goals in 27 appearances, goalkeeper Matej Kovar won the Dutch title with PSV Eindhoven this season, and most will be aware of the talents of Vladimir Coufal, Tomas Soucek and Patrick Schick.
They’re an experienced unit and know that avoiding defeat is essential in this opening game, and I think they’ll have the nous to secure an important point to take into their second match, which they’ll be eyeing up three points, against South Africa. That should be enough to see them into the knockout phase if it pans out, so I’m on board with the draw and wouldn’t be surprised with a 0-0 or 1-1 scoreline here.
Tip: Draw @ 3.10. 1 unit.
Check out Tommy the Punter’s Tipping Record here.