The Mexican men’s national team secured its ticket to the World Cup 2026 knockout stages on Thursday, after beating South Korea 1-0 at Guadalajara Stadium.

It was actually South Korea who dominated for much of the play, but it didn’t create many clear chances. Early in the second half, it paid the price as goalkeeper Seung-Gyu Kim went out to grab a loose ball and accidentally set up a goal for Mexican midfielder Luis Romo, who tapped the ball into the empty net.

The result sees the hosts secure a spot in the tournament’s knockout stages. With the new 48-team format, the Tri is bound for the round of 32, where it’ll match up against the third-placed team from one of Groups C, E, F, H or I, with the spots currently occupied by Brazil, Ecuador, the Netherlands, Spain and Senegal.

What about the rest of Latin America?

With Mexico the first team to secure a spot in the next round, that leaves plenty of room for other Latin American teams to follow suit. So far, no team has been eliminated, although some have it harder than others.

Group C – Brazil and Haiti

With only Scotland having won its opening game of the group stage, the group is wide open. However, it’s unlikely that both Brazil and Haiti will advance, since they still face each other on Friday.

A defeat will likely mean elimination for either side, while a draw leaves both with a lot of work to do on their last matchday, against Scotland and Morocco, respectively. 

A win for Brazil will leave them with a foot already planted in the next stage, particularly if Morocco beats Scotland.

Group D – Paraguay

Things look dark for the team led by Argentine coach Gustavo Alfaro after their 4-1 trashing at the hands of the United States in its debut, but there’s more than meets the eye.

A win against Turkiye on Saturday (12 a.m. Argentina time) will leave them with a do-or-die matchup against Australia if the Socceroos either lose to the US or tie. 

A win for the Australians against the hosts complicates things, as they require not only a win on the final matchday, but also for the U.S. to lose or tie against Turkiye in their final match. This is because head-to-head is the first tie-breaking rule, which would send the U.S. through if they win, given their 4-1 victory against Paraguay.

Group E – Ecuador

La Tri is another national team in a bit of a pickle. Their surprise defeat to Ivory Coast leaves them needing other results to progress.

Ecuador now needs to beat Curacao and avoid defeat against Germany, and hope the Mannschaft gives them a hand beating the African team.

Group H – Uruguay

The team coached by Marcelo Bielsa missed a golden opportunity to take the top spot in the group and escape when they tied 1-1 with Saudi Arabia. 

Assuming the Charrúas beat Cape Verde and Spain beats the Saudis, qualification will go to the wire in the last matchday against the Spaniards, with a tie sending both through.

A defeat for either will leave the loser eyeing the clash between the other two to secure a spot via other tie-breaking rules.

Group J – Argentina

The Albiceleste took a big step with its Lionel Messi-inspired win against Algeria, and a second win against Austria on Monday will see them through. 

A tie or a defeat will leave them hoping for a win against Jordan and a tie between Algeria and Austria in the final matchday for a direct spot. If Algeria beats Jordan and Austria, Argentina also has the upper hand due to the head-to-head tally.

Group K – Colombia

Another team with half the job done, the Cafeteros will be through to the next round with a win against RD Congo on Tuesday.

A defeat or a tie against the African team will likely leave them with a do-or-die matchup against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal on the last matchday.

Group L – Panamá

A defeat to Ghana in their debut leaves the Panamanians with a lot of work to do. A win against 2022 semifinalist Croatia will put Panama back in contention if England beats the African team. 

However, they will still need to beat the English in their final matchday or avoid defeat and hope Ghana loses to England and Croatia.

Cover image: Selección Mexicana Twitter