Preview:Mexico vs South Korea - prediction, team news, lineups

Mexico will face South Korea on Wednesday in an international friendly at Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Both nations have already booked their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and this meeting serves only as a test with both sides fine-tuning preparations for the tournament.

Match preview

Mexico returned to action for the first time since edging the United States 2-1 in the Gold Cup final, a result that secured their 10th title and cemented their status as the most successful nation in the competition’s history.

However, Javier Aguirre’s men were unable to continue that momentum at the weekend, as they were held to a goalless draw by Japan in an international friendly, with El Tri finishing the match with 10 men after Cesar Montes was dismissed in stoppage time.

Despite that setback, Mexico extended their unbeaten streak to eight matches across all competitions, their last defeat coming against Switzerland in June.

They enjoyed a flawless Gold Cup campaign, winning five matches and drawing one, while also lifting the CONCACAF Nations League trophy in March after defeating Panama 2-1 in the final.

Aguirre’s side will now be looking to maintain their winning culture as co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup alongside the USA and Canada, and history is also on their side ahead of this friendly, having lost just twice to South Korea in eight meetings, with four victories, including the last three encounters, the most recent being a thrilling 3-2 friendly win in 2020.

South Korea, meanwhile, also head into this fixture relaxed, with World Cup qualification already secured and their attention firmly set on building momentum ahead of next year’s tournament.

The Taegeuk Warriors saw a 16-match unbeaten run across all competitions come to an end last month when they fell 3-1 to Japan in the East Asian Cup final, but they bounced back quickly in this window, sealing a 2-0 win over the USA last time out.

Son Heung-min was the star of the show, opening the scoring in the 18th minute before setting up the second goal, as he edges closer to the top of the nation's all-time scoring chart.

The Koreans have shown their defensive resilience in recent times, having kept five clean sheets in their last six matches, with the defeat to Japan the only blemish in that run.

Mexico International Friendlies form:

Mexico form (all competitions):

South Korea International Friendlies form:

South Korea form (all competitions):

Team News

For Mexico, Montes will be unavailable after his red card against Japan, opening up a spot in the backline.

Hirving Lozano made his return from injury in that match and could feature again, while Raul Jimenez is expected to lead the line once more.

For South Korea, Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Jens Castrop, who recently switched allegiance from Germany, made his debut against the USA and could play a bigger role here.

Son will once again captain the side and carries extra motivation, as he is one appearance away from equalling Hong Myung-bo and Cha Bum-kun as the joint-most capped player in Korean history.

He also sits on 52 international goals, needing six more to match Bum-kun’s all-time record, making him the player to watch on Tuesday night.

Mexico possible starting lineup:

Malagon; Sanchez, Purata, Vasquez, Gallardo; Ruiz, Alvarez, Pineda; Vega, Jimenez, Alvarado

South Korea possible starting lineup:

Cho; T.S Lee, J. Kim, M. KIM, H.B. Lee, Seol; Kang-in, Paik, Kim, J.Lee; Heung-min

We say: Mexico 1-2 South Korea

Mexico and South Korea both arrive in good form, and both teams have shown defensive solidity which they will be both hoping to breach.

With both sides already qualified for the World Cup, this should be an open contest, yet the Koreans balance between attack and defence could earn them a narrow win in Nashville.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.