Mexico march into World Cup knockout stage and football royalty Ochoa gets fairytale moment
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A tearful Ochoa played the final minutes of the game against Czech Republic Reuters/Annegret Hilse
By Jack Lang, Jacob Whitehead and Reuben PinderJune 24, 2026 Updated June 25, 2026 2:50 am EDTMexico’s legendary 40-year-old goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa played the final 12 minutes of their 3-0 win against Czech Republic as they advanced to the knockout stage with three wins from three.
The victory against Czech Republic secured top spot in Group A and means that Javier Aguirre’s team will be back in Mexico City to face a third-placed side from Groups C, E, F, H or I on June 30.
The match was soured by homophobic chanting from the Mexico supporters in the first half but there was no action taken at the time by the referee.
The home side took the lead through Mateo Chavez Garcia in the 55th minute, when the 22-year-old left-back popped up on the right wing and then curled a shot beyond the Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar. Julian Quinones, the hero in the opening-day win against South Africa, then doubled the lead from close range, before Alvaro Fidalgo made it 3-0 late on.
Raul Angel was substituted in the 78th minute for Ochoa to make his 154th appearance for Mexico, having been part of six World Cup squads for his country.
Mexico are joined in the knockout stage by South Africa, who will face Canada in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 28. South Korea, losers to South Africa in the night’s other game, have a slim chance of advancing as one of the best third-placed teams.
Jack Lang, Jacob Whitehead and Reuben Pinder analyse the key talking points…
Mexico fans: It's a blessing to welcome the worldReuben Pinder and Joe CrisalliA fairytale moment for Mexican football royalty
With Mexico 2-0 up and cruising, Mexico coach Aguirre did what 99 per cent of people in this stadium wanted. He took off his first-choice goalkeeper, Raul Rangel, and threw on Ochoa.
It is no exaggeration to call Ochoa Mexican football royalty. This is his sixth World Cup. He became the nation’s darling at Brazil 2014, putting in a string of eye-catching performances, which he then built on at the next two tournaments.
He was not, initially, expected to feature this year, having been jettisoned by Aguirre. An injury to Luis Angel Malagon, however, created space in the squad and the potential for a fairytale goodbye. Whether or not Ochoa would feature in this game was the only thing the Mexican press talked about all week.
Rangel started. Aguirre is a stickler like that. But Ochoa had his moment, walking on to a thunderous ovation. He had little to do apart from punt a few passes upfield but that matters little. His World Cup legacy was sealed long ago. This was just an emotional farewell, a little moment in time. No one who was here tonight will forget it.
Jack Lang
Guillermo Ochoa and Mexico – a World Cup love affair gets its perfect ending
A cult hero worldwide and a national treasure at home, veteran Mexico goalkeeper Ochoa's late Azteca cameo was the perfect send-off
What’s next for Mexico?
For the first time, in their 16th World Cup appearance, Mexico have won all three group-stage matches.
It means their pathway is clear in some sense: they will remain in Mexico City for the next two rounds until a potential quarter-final in Houston, should they make it that far.
Their opponents, however, are a little more unclear. Scheduled to play one of the third-placed finishers from Groups C, E, F, H or I., The Athletic’s algorithm currently has them most likely to face Scotland on June 30, with a 34 per cent chance as it stands.
Other opponents include 0-0 draw specialists Ecuador (13 per cent), as well as potentially dangerous opponents in Senegal (12 per cent) and Uruguay (nine per cent). With three days of group stage matches still to go, however, they could still face one of 13 opponents. Mexico’s poor scouting analysts…
Should they progress through the round of 32, their likely opponents in the last 16 are England at the Azteca — the sides have not met at the World Cup since the group stages in 1966, a tournament that hosts went on to win.
Elsewhere in Group A, South Africa’s 1-0 win over a poor South Korea sent Bafana Bafana through to the knockout stages for the first time in their history — they will play Canada in Los Angeles.
Stuck on three points, South Korea will have to wait for the remaining group-stage fixtures to see if they can qualify as one of eight best third-place finishers. The Czech Republic are out, with just a single point.
Jacob Whitehead
Homophobic chant mars Mexico’s win
Before the World Cup, the Mexican football federation launched a campaign that featured the heroes of the country’s 1986 World Cup side. They spoke evocatively about their memories, particularly of La Ola, the Mexican wave, which was a feature in stadiums throughout that tournament. The campaign encouraged fans this summer to bring the wave back — instead of participating in a rather more damaging routine.
The Mexican federation have been repeatedly fined over the last decade for homophobic chanting by fans at matches. They have tried to snuff it out but it has been an uphill struggle. In the opening game of the World Cup, the infamous chant was pleasingly absent from the Azteca. Here, on a couple of occasions during a frustrating first half, it came back.
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The referee has the discretion to pause and even suspend matches when this chanting happens. There was no stoppage here. There are, however, observers from the FARE network in every World Cup stadium this summer. It will be interesting to see whether there are consequences in the days to come.
Jack Lang
How did record-breaker Mora do on first World Cup start?
You can’t walk past a tall building in Mexico City without seeing his face gazing down at you. Gilberto Mora is only 17 but already big business, a billboard staple. People love him for the player he is: a wriggly, tempo-setting midfield sprite. They will love him even more if he becomes the player some expect him to be.
Mora did not have much of a say in Mexico’s first two games. Here, though, the stage was set for him as the youngest player to ever start a World Cup match for Mexico. “He’s a great player, the most talented player in the Mexican side,” Czech Republic coach Miroslav Koubek said on the eve of the game. “Mora is very skilful and intelligent. He is also a real team player.”
At just 17 years and 253 days old, Gilberto Mora becomes the youngest player to start a men's FIFA World Cup match for Mexico.
He is the sixth youngest starter in FIFA World Cup history. pic.twitter.com/YiXZMm2fyK
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) June 25, 2026
The opening stages were frustrating. Mora geed the crowd up but his passes went astray. When he did set up a chance, Roberto Alvarado blazed his shot over the bar. It felt, at half-time, like the kid’s big World Cup moment was threatening to pass him by.
Then he came to life. Mora began to pick the ball up in little pockets, proving away at the Czech defence. He slid Luis Romo in for what should have been the opener. When Mexico did take the lead, Mora was not at the sharp end of the pitch; he had, though, started the move, keeping his cool inside his own penalty area, pausing to make the right pass rather than hacking the ball clear.
His influence on the second goal was less stealthy. Mora picked the ball up on halfway and just kept on motoring forward, moving towards two runners on the right, eventually nudging the ball through for Jorge Sanchez, who bundled the ball across for Quinones to finish.
It would be Mora’s final act. He was withdrawn by Aguirre with 17 minutes left, gifted an Azteca ovation. He can and will play better than this, but it was a solid first chapter in his World Cup story.
Jack Lang
Why was Merlin the duck denied entry?
Meet Merlin the duck. He wears a Mexico jersey on matchdays, boots to protect his webbed feet, and enjoys a pork taco at the weekend from his owners’ streetside stand.
Over the past two weeks, he has become a symbol — and good luck charm — for Mexico’s passage through the tournament. Supporters had campaigned for Merlin to be allowed into the Azteca to witness Mexico’s final group game — but the dabbler found his free passage impeded on Wednesday evening by FIFA regulations.
Though he was allowed to enter the wider perimeter to film a segment with local television network Televisa, a FIFA spokesperson told The Guardian that he would not be allowed into the stadium itself due to the governing body’s animal safety rules.
Mexico duly paid tribute to their absent hero, appropriately, with a lame duck first-half performance.
Yet one place that Merlin is allowed is inside Mexican leader Claudia Sheinbaum’s presidential palace, waddling onto stage on Monday morning for her daily briefing.
Merlin the duck meets the Mexican leader Claudia Sheinbaum, second from left (Daniel Cardenas/Anadolu via Getty Images)“He has been a symbol of the World Cup, a symbol of what Mexican families stand for, of who we are as Mexican families, and that is above all else, it is what the world is seeing from Mexico today,” Sheinbaum said.
Jacob Whitehead
Mexico fans bring the noise and it will concern next opponents
Before kick-off, the big screens showed volume levels of well over 100 decibels in response to FIFA’s man on the mic asking the 80,824-strong crowd to make some noise. They didn’t need an invitation to do so throughout the game, though, when two noises in particular stood out.
Firstly, the happy screech. In an underwhelming first half, this was mostly heard whenever Mexico ventured into the attacking half of the pitch. But in the second half, the team gave them more reason to cheer with two quick-fire goals, prompting ear-shattering noise, waterfalls of beer and a few smoke bombs.
Edson Alvarez celebrates Mexico’s opener, scored by Chavez (Reuters/Pedro Nunes)Equally notable throughout the game was the angry screech, reserved for whenever the Czech Republic players had the ball — or worse — were given a free kick. Similar in pitch but with added aggression.
One very unwelcome noise was the homophobic chant heard on a couple of occasions in the first half. It has led to multiple fines by FIFA over the past decade, though no action was taken in this match.
It’s likely that England will come here to face Mexico in the last 16, all going well. Fans The Athletic spoke to on Tuesday at the Mexico City Fan Fest told me that while England have the better players, home advantage could be a leveller.
Watching Mexico secure a third group-stage win without conceding a goal, it was easy to see why.
Reuben Pinder
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