Mexico
- Mexico have won six of their last ten matches, drawing three and losing one.
- The Mexicans have looked a cohesive and tactically astute unit since Javier Aguirre took over as head coach in July 2024, quickly instilling a compact, disciplined defensive structure and clarity of purpose for their structured progression and pressing from the wings in their 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation.
- Mexico, on the other hand, have won three consecutive matches, beating Ghana 2-0 and Australia 1-0 in recent home games before hammering Serbia 5-1 at the weekend.
South Africa
- South Africa have won four of their last ten, drawing three and losing three.
- In fact, Broos has made South Africa much more of a threat since he took over in May 2021, but recent results have not been as positive as those during his first year in charge.
- South Africa have won just one of their last five matches (D2, L2), suffering a 1-2 home defeat to Panama in Friendly International Matches 2026 before a 0-0 draw with Nicaragua.
Head-to-Head
Mexico and South Africa meet in an intriguing Group A matchup at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday in a match that echoes their 2010 World Cup opener.
Key Players
Johan Vasquez has scored two of Mexico's last six goals and looks a great anytime scorer bet for this clash while Oswin Appollis has done the same for South Africa.
Betting Insights
Mexico are 1.44 favourites, South Africa8.8 and the draw is 4.55 , so we are going to head for the low-hanging fruit of the 'Both teams to score - No' market at 1.52 .
Prediction
We should expect the 'Mexicans' to win this match given their superior form, the home advantage and their much shorter odds, but the other markets are all pretty unappealing too.
