Hosts Mexico open up World Cup play against South Africa at the Estadio Azteca on Thursday in a rematch of the 2010 World Cup opener. Later that night, South Korea will face off against Czechia in Guadalajara, Mexico. All four teams will head into the group stage with the belief that they can advance to the knockout stages, but
Mexico are the favorites to win Group A
Mexico are currently listed as -140 favorites to win Group A, with a heavy chance (-2200) of advancing. Home-field advantage has been a big topic of discussion as Mexico will play all three home games in Mexico. An opening game against South Africa can be seen as Mexico’s most likely chance to get three points, with El Tri listed as -250 favorites to win on Thursday. Mexico have won their World Cup group twice in their history, but have not done so since the 2002 World Cup.
South Korea and Czechia are most likely to finish 2nd/3rd
South Korea and Czechia are both underdogs to win Group A, but not much separates the two nations at the moment. South Korea (+350 to win the group) and Czechia (+380 to win the group) face off on Thursday, and the result can be a big indicator of who can truly compete to win the group. South Korea are slight favorites to win their first matchup (+165), with Czechia slightly behind at +185. A win for either nation will be very important, as Czechia can then push up to 6 out of 6 points with a win vs. South Africa
South Africa are outside favorites
South Africa are +800 to upset Mexico in the opening match. They are underdogs in all three group games, and are listed as -120 favorites to finish last in Group A. South Africa have not won their last four games and were knocked out by Cameroon in the Round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations. However, while not heading into the tournament in great form, South Africa are still in a good position to potentially make some noise in the World Cup.
Odds for Group A
To Win Group A: Mexico (-145), South Korea (+350), Czechia (+400), South Africa (+1300)
To Finish 2nd in Group A: South Korea (+200), Czechia (+210), Mexico (+260), South Africa (+500)
To Qualify from Group A: Mexico (-2000), South Korea (-275), Czechia (-250), South Africa (+152)
Not to Qualify from Group A: South Africa (-190), Czechia (+210), South Korea (+235), Mexico (+980)
