Qualification to the Round of 32 will be on the line as co-hosts Mexico and European qualifiers Czech Republic meet in their final Group A contest at Mexico City Stadium.
Group A
Thursday, 25 June | Mexico City Stadium
Kick-off time
09:00 (GMT+8)
The match
Czech Republic and Mexico go head-to-head in their final Group A fixture with the co-hosts already assured of a first place finish in the group after a 2-0 opening win against South Africa and a 1-0 triumph over Korea Republic. as for Czech Republic, their progress to the knockout phase of the tournament is on the line. A 2-1 loss to Korea Republic and a 1-1 draw with South Africa has Czech Republic facing a must-win against Mexico, plus some help in the group’s other fixture.
As the winners of Group A, Mexico will face a third-place finisher from either Group C, E, F, H or I in Mexico City, while the runners-up will meet the Group B runners-up in Los Angeles. Should the third-placed team in the section qualify as one of the eight best, they will meet either the Group E or Group G winners in Boston or Seattle.
Czech Republic possible starting XI
Kovar; Coufal, Holes, Hranac, Krejci, Sojka; Darida, Cerv, Sadilek; Hlozek, Schick
Mexico possible starting XI
Rangel; Chavez, Vasquez, Alvarez, Reyes; Mora, Obed, Fidalgo; Quinones, Alvarado, Jimenez
What they said…
“From what we’ve seen, the fans have become just as excited as we have. We try to repay that support on the pitch by doing things the right way, aiming to get wins, and this is going to be a very important match.” Roberto Alvarado, Mexico forward
“We know very well that, if we want to achieve great things, we’re going to have to face strong teams. The most important thing on our minds right now is tomorrow’s match. We have a great opportunity to make history and collect all nine points. After that, we’ll focus on the next opponent.” Orbelin Pineda, Mexico midfielder
“After the match (against South Africa), I realised my approach was not the best. There are some positive aspects, but I was not satisfied with the result. We need to have more possession of the ball, because if we don’t, we will have to defend, and we don’t want that. We need to improve our possession. The players have to run more. We are aware of what we need to do and what we need to improve. That is exactly where we have not been getting good results. We need to know how to hold onto the lead.” Miroslav Koubek, Czech Republic coach
Mexico City Stadium
A true coliseum of world football and the first to host a third FIFA World Cup, Mexico City Stadium – which welcomed the likes of Pele and Diego Maradona across two pulsating World Cup finals in 1970 and 1986 – will once again take centre stage. Five World Cup matches will be played here, including Mexico’s first and third group games, and two knockout stage fixtures.