Mexico make history with a first-ever perfect group stage at the Azteca

Mexico completed a flawless group campaign with a 3-0 win over Czechia at the Estadio Azteca, becoming the first Mexican side in World Cup history to win all three group matches. Goals from Carlos Chávez, Julián Quiñones and a late Fidalgo strike sealed a comfortable victory in front of a fervent home crowd and confirmed Javier Aguirre's team as Group A winners on a maximum nine points. The result extended Mexico's remarkable Azteca record at World Cups — they have never lost a World Cup match at the iconic stadium — and sent Czechia out of the tournament.

It was an afternoon of celebration in the capital, capped by an emotional cameo from the 40-year-old goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, introduced as a substitute to mark another milestone in a storied career. Aguirre's mantra of progressing "step by step" has rarely looked so convincing.

Match summary: Chávez and Quiñones break Czech resistance

Mexico's pressure told in the 55th minute when Carlos Chávez, the 22-year-old enjoying his first World Cup, swept a finish into the bottom-left corner after a fine pass from Romo. The lead doubled in the 61st minute through Julián Quiñones, who reacted quickest to convert a rebound after Holeš's attempted clearance ricocheted off Sánchez — the striker's second goal of the tournament. With the game won, Aguirre introduced Ochoa for a poignant appearance, the veteran goalkeeper hoisted aloft by team-mates in recognition of a career spanning multiple World Cups. There was still time for a third: deep into stoppage time, substitute Fidalgo curled into the top-left corner from Alvarado's pass to round off a 3-0 win and complete the perfect group.

A landmark campaign and an Azteca that never falls

Mexico's nine-point haul surpasses the previous best of their 1986 and 2002 sides — both, fittingly, also coached by Aguirre — who each managed two wins and a draw. No Mexican team had ever taken maximum points from a group, making this a genuine milestone. The setting only added to the occasion: the Estadio Azteca, hosting World Cup football across 1970, 1986 and now 2026, has never seen Mexico beaten at a World Cup, a record of six wins and two draws that endures. Ochoa's appearance, meanwhile, underscored the sense of history, the goalkeeper adding another chapter to one of his country's most decorated careers.

Group A winners: Mexico to stay at the Azteca for the last 32

Topping Group A on nine points, Mexico will remain at the Estadio Azteca for their Round of 32 tie on June 30, a powerful advantage as the knockout rounds begin. South Africa's win over South Korea the same evening secures second place and a meeting with Group B's runner-up Canada, while South Korea drop to third and must await the best-third-placed permutations. Czechia, beaten here, finish bottom on a single point and exit. For Mexico, a perfect group and a fortress venue offer the ideal platform; Aguirre's "step by step" journey continues with belief surging.