The South Korea national football team faces Mexico in the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage. Coach Hong Myung-bo says the players have strong confidence. Korea is at a disadvantage in the head-to-head record against Mexico, but aims to win. In the first match, both Korea and Mexico won, and they will compete for the top spot in the group. In the FIFA rankings, Mexico is 12th and Korea is 22nd. Korea has played Mexico twice in the World Cup, but lost both times. In the 1998 France World Cup group stage, Korea lost 1-3, and in the 2018 Russia World Cup group stage, Korea lost 1-2. However, in a friendly match last September, Korea drew 2-2. The UK sports statistics company Opta predicted that Mexico has a 48.8% chance of winning, Korea has a 24.8% chance of winning, and a 26.4% chance of a draw. Coach Hong Myung-bo expressed his determination to surpass the semi-final performance of the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup and aims to confirm their advancement to the round of 32 in the second match. The Korean national football team has shown weakness in the second match of the World Cup group stage. From the 1954 Switzerland World Cup to the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Korea recorded 4 draws and 7 losses in 11 second matches. However, Coach Hong Myung-bo says the players have strong confidence. Korea is at a disadvantage in the head-to-head record against Mexico, but aims to win.