A group with no clear whipping boy team seems sure to be tightly contested.Bafana Bafana will have to be at their best to get results against any of their three opponents.MEXICOAs the strongest side in Central America, Mexico are perennial World Cup qualifiers — they have been at 17 of the 22 tournaments. There, they are almost always competitive, getting past the group stage nine times from their last 12 appearances; but then battle to make ground in the knockouts, with two quarterfinals their best finishes (as hosts in 1970 and 1986) amid seven last 16 exits. As co-hosts they did not play the Concacaf qualifiers, which can be a disadvantage. Star players include centrebacks César Montes (Lokomotiv Moscow) and Johan Vásquez (Genoa), Fenerbahce defensive midfielder Edson Álvarez and strikers Raúl Jiménez (Fulham) and Santiago Gimenez (AC Milan).Fifa Ranking: 15Best World Cup finishes: Quarterfinals (1970, 1986)World Cup appearances: 17SOUTH KOREAAlways neat with clinical passing and superb organisation and quick attacking football, though perhaps lacking in the creative stakes, South Korea are hard to beat. They progressed easily past the first round of Asian qualifying, topping their four-team group. They topped their six-team second-round group undefeated (six wins and four draws) to qualify. Star players include big names in one-time prolific Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min, now at Los Angeles FC, and Bayern Munich cemtreback Kim Min-jae. Fifa Ranking: 25Best World Cup finishes: Semifinals (2002), Last 16 (2010, 2022)World Cup appearances: 11SOUTH AFRICABafana Bafana are the most inexperienced combination in Group A with three World Cup group stage exits (1998, 2002 and 2010 as hosts), and the lowest ranked (60). They will pin their hopes on a recent revival under veteran Belgian Hugo Broos and the emergence of some talented players, including Chicago Fire’s 19-year-old centreback Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Orlando Pirates playmaker Relebohile Mofokeng. Much rests on their two world class stars, goalkeeper Ronwen Williams and central midfielder Teboho Mokoena. Fifa Ranking: 60Best World Cup finishes: Group stage (1998, 2002, 2010)World Cup appearances: 3CZECHIAThe last to reach the group with a Uefa playoff upset of Denmark last month, Czech Republic have the classic European organisation levels, pedigree and player power. They went to the playoffs, where Czechia also beat Ireland, finishing second (16 points) in an unconvincing first round group stage, behind Croatia (22) and ahead of minnows Faroe Islands, Montenegro and Gibraltar. Doughty 74-year-old Miroslav Koubek, who had just a few trophies that included the 2014-15 Czech title, was installed as a safe, experienced option and clinched qualification. Runners-up twice in the early stages of the World Cup (1934 and 1962), Czech have disappointed in the modern era despite possessing a stars of the quality of Pavel Nedved in the 1990s and 2000s, with just two qualifications since 1990, when they had their best quarterfinal placing, the other coming in 2006. Present Star players include Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick and West Ham United midfielder Tomáš Souček.Fifa Ranking: 41Best World Cup finishes: Runners-up (1934, 1962), Quarterfinals (1990)World Cup appearances: 9TimesLIVE, Sowetan, The Herald and Daily Dispatch will profile a 2026 WORLD CUP GROUP every Tuesday until the tournament’s June 11 kickoff. Also catch the STAR PLAYER profile every Friday.