Group A · Matchday 3
MexicovsCzech Republic
2026-06-24·19:00 localPredictions finalised
The forecast
Match-outcome probability
- Mexico win42.4%
- Draw28.6%
- Czech Republic win29.0%
A clash of identities: Mexico's high-press approach meets Czech Republic's counter-attacker style in a fixture the model gives to Mexico at 46%.
Why the model says this
Favoring Mexico
- ·Mexico holds a significant Elo advantage, with a delta of 134 points over Czech Republic.
- ·Mexico's expected goals (xG) output is higher at 1.27, compared to Czech Republic's 1.03.
- ·Mexico is ranked 15th by FIFA, indicating a higher standing than Czech Republic, whose FIFA rank is not provided.
Favoring Czech Republic
- ·Czech Republic won the only prior head-to-head fixture against Mexico, a 2-1 victory in 2000.
- ·The 'hp' model assigns a 32.8% win probability to Czech Republic, which is higher than the ensemble's 29.0% and the highest among all sub-models for the away side.
What the model can't fully price
- ·Five players across both squads are carrying fitness doubts, including one projected starter. The model does not account for the impact of these potential absences.
- ·As a Matchday 3 fixture in Group A, specific motivational factors related to qualification scenarios are not explicitly incorporated into the probability calculations.
- ·The venue for this fixture is not specified, meaning the model cannot account for any potential home-field advantage or specific environmental conditions.
Form check
Mexico
SteadyMexico has recorded three wins, two draws, and one loss in their last six fixtures. Their recent friendly performances include a 4-0 victory and two draws, indicating some inconsistency in their build-up to this match.
Achieved three clean sheets in their last five matches.
Czech Republic
SteadyCzech Republic enters this match with two wins, three draws, and one loss from their last six outings. They have shown attacking prowess, scoring 6 goals in one recent qualification match, but also conceded 4 goals in their last two 2-2 draws.
Scored 6 goals in a 6-0 FIFA World Cup qualification victory in November 2025.
Analysis
How it plays out
Mexico's high press game meets Czech Republic's counter attacker shape. Czech Republic will concede territory deliberately and look to hit the spaces Mexico's high line leaves behind. Mexico's aggressive press (PPDA 16.1) against Czech Republic's deeper build-up (PPDA 20.4) creates a clear territory question: can Mexico force errors high up, or will Czech Republic play through the press and find space behind it?
What decides it
Mexico press high (PPDA 16.1). If the press doesn't win the ball early, the space behind their back line becomes exposed. Czech Republic will concede possession willingly and attack in transition. Their defensive block needs to hold without fouling in dangerous areas. Raúl Jiménez carries the marginally higher scoring probability (8.2% vs 4.2%).
Off the pitch
Czech Republic travel 10,015km while Mexico are essentially at home. That journey shows up in second-half intensity.
The angle
A Group A fixture where the result matters more for the standings than the headlines.
▸Goals & scorelines
Likeliest score 1–1 (13.8%) · xG 1.3 - 0.9
Expected goals
Mean of the Dixon-Coles joint goal distribution. Same fit that produces the most-likely-scoreline list below.
Most likely scorelines
- 1–113.8%
- 1–012.9%
- 0–011.4%
- 0–19.3%
- 2–08.9%
From the Dixon-Coles joint Poisson with the low-score correction. Scorelines are listed in probability order; this is a description of the model's distribution, not a recommendation.
Most likely half-time scorelines
- 0–033.2%
- 1–020.5%
- 0–114.9%
- 1–110.6%
- 2–06.8%
Same Dixon-Coles fit as the full-time list above, with rates halved to a 45-minute window and the low-score correction applied to that 1st-half block. The 0-0 row sits higher here than at full-time because fewer minutes have elapsed.
Goal totals
- More than 0.5 goals88.6%
- More than 1.5 goals66.4%
- More than 2.5 goals38.9%
- More than 3.5 goals18.9%
- More than 4.5 goals7.7%
- More than 5.5 goals2.7%
- Both teams score45.3%
Each row is the probability the match finishes with more than the listed number of goals. Both-teams-to-score is the probability each side scores at least once. All values are marginals of the Dixon-Coles joint goal grid that produces the scoreline list above — not market lines or any other operator construct.
Event-typed probabilities
- Mexico clean sheetOpposing team scores zero38.7%
- Czech Republic clean sheetOpposing team scores zero27.4%
Derived from the same Dixon-Coles joint distribution as the scoreline list. These are descriptive event probabilities — see CLAUDE.md §3/§4 (formerly COMPLIANCE.md §4.2.7) for the framing the project uses.
Win-margin probability
- Mexico by 4+2.1%
- Mexico by 3+7.2%
- Mexico by 2+20.3%
- Mexico by 1+43.6%
- Draw29.8%
- Czech Republic by 1+26.6%
- Czech Republic by 2+9.7%
- Czech Republic by 3+2.6%
- Czech Republic by 4+0.6%
Each row is the probability the match ends with the listed margin or larger in that direction. Marginal of the Dixon-Coles joint goal grid; the “by 1+” rows plus the draw row sum to 1.
▸How the match unfolds
Over 2.5 goals 38.9% · BTTS 45.3%
Game state through the match
- Mexico ahead44.4%
- Level28.2%
- Czech Republic ahead27.3%
Probability of each game state at minutes 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 — derived from two independent thinned-Poisson processes with the Dixon-Coles per-team rates. The three lines always sum to 1 at each minute. The right column shows the state at the match's closing minute.
When the first goal arrives
- 0–1531.2%
- 15–3021.5%
- 30–4514.8%
- 45–6010.2%
- 60–757.0%
- 75–904.8%
- No goal10.6%
Probability the match's first goal arrives in each 15-minute window. Homogeneous Poisson with combined rate λ = λh + λa from the Dixon-Coles fit; the seven rows (six windows + no-goal tail) sum to 1.
Half-time / full-time grid
| HT ↓ / FT → | HMexico win | DDraw | ACzech Republic win |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMexico ahead | 27.5% | 4.6% | 1.2% |
| DLevel | 15.1% | 19.3% | 10.1% |
| ACzech Republic ahead | 1.7% | 4.6% | 15.8% |
Each cell is P(half-time result, full-time result). All nine cells sum to 1. Derived from a halved-λ Dixon-Coles fit for the first half plus an independent-Poisson second-half convolution.
Comeback probability
- Mexico trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT6.3%
- Czech Republic trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT5.8%
Joint probability — P(side trailing at half-time AND avoiding defeat at full-time). NOT conditional on trailing at HT. Derived from the same half-time / full-time decomposition that produces the HT/FT grid above; a tied first half is neither a home nor an away comeback opportunity.
Cards
- Expected yellow cardsMean of the Poisson on total yellow cards.3.45
- Total yellows over 2.567.0%
- Total yellows over 3.545.3%
- Total yellows over 4.526.5%
- Any red cardP(at least one red card in the match).9.5%
Referee not yet assigned. Using the 2026 pool-mean per-match rate as a placeholder; the model picks up the referee's personal rate once the assignment is published. Total yellow cards modelled as a Poisson with mean equal to two team baselines plus the referee's deviation from the pool mean. Reds are modelled the same way, independently. See /docs/methodology/.
▸Teams & players
Top scorer: Jiménez (8.2%)
Match detail
Mexico
Model-rated key players: Raúl Jiménez (FW) — P(scores) 8.2%; Santiago Giménez (FW) — P(scores) 3.0%; Hirving Lozano (FW) — P(scores) 2.6%.
Mexico under Javier Aguirre play a high press game, holding 55% of the ball — among the highest in the tournament field. Their likely shape is a 3-5-2, though they have also used 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3. They press intensely (PPDA 16.1, top quartile (5th of 40)). They generate a high volume of shots (15.0 per 90).
Mexico need their high press to force turnovers in dangerous areas — if opponents can play through the press, the space left behind is vulnerable. Physical conditioning and squad rotation will be critical to sustain pressing intensity across a long tournament.
Czech Republic
Model-rated key players: Patrik Schick (FW) — P(scores) 4.2%; Vladimír Darida (MF) — P(scores) 3.1%; Tomáš Chorý (FW) — P(scores) 2.2%.
Czech Republic under Miroslav Koubek play a counter attacker game, with just 45% possession — among the lowest in the field. They apply moderate pressing intensity (PPDA 20.4).
Czech Republic rely on defensive discipline and quick transitions — absorbing pressure and converting turnovers into attacking chances. Concentration and defensive organisation for full 90-minute stretches will determine whether the approach holds against top opposition.
Mexico historically converts 9.5% of xG from set-pieces, contributing 0.12 expected set-piece goals in this fixture. Czech Republic converts 6.5% from set-pieces (0.06 expected). Combined, the model expects 0.18 set-piece goals across the 90 minutes.
- P(Mexico scores set-piece goal) 11.6%
- P(Czech Republic scores set-piece goal) 6.0%
- P(set-piece goal in match) 16.9%
Czech Republic: Adam Hložek on corners (9 corners), Tomáš Souček on free kicks (per fbref 2022 23)
If a penalty is awarded to Mexico, the model gives 72.5% conversion, 73.3% for Czech Republic.
Mexico primary PK: Raúl Jiménez (1/1 in 2021-22, per fbref 2021 22) · Czech Republic primary PK: Vladimír Darida (5/6 in 2014-15, per fbref 2022 23).
Derived from the model's per-fixture forecast joint and supporting reference data (predicted squads, set-piece xG share, PK posteriors, club minutes). See /docs/methodology/ for the full methodology.
Tactical forecast
- PPDA
- 16.1
- Possession
- 55%
- Directness (yds/pass)
- 6.7
- Long balls/90
- 37
- Set-piece xG
- 10%
- PPDA
- 20.4
- Possession
- 45%
- Directness (yds/pass)
- 7.8
- Long balls/90
- 41
- Set-piece xG
- 6%
Style profile per side from StatsBomb open-data aggregation across recent international tournaments (Euro 2020/2024, Copa America 2024, AFCON 2023, World Cup 2018/2022). The tactical-fingerprint badge maps each team’s observed style vector into one of eight canonical archetypes via a rule-based classifier; teams with fewer than three matches of qualifying coverage carry an “insufficient-data” label rather than being forced into a default. Sides outside the StatsBomb-open corpus use FotMob team match stats from recent qualifiers and friendlies instead (possession and shot volume only), marked as partial coverage. PPDA = passes the side allows per defensive action (lower = more intense press). Formation distributions are not yet produced — that head of the §2.7 classifier is pending its own data pull. See /docs/methodology/.
Squad depth
Most irreplaceable starters
Mexico
- Johan VásquezCentre-backCover: Jesús Alberto Angulo · 0.690.22gap
- Edson ÁlvarezDefensive midfieldCover: Luis Chávez · 0.700.19gap
- Orbelín PinedaCentral midfieldCover: Érick Sánchez · 0.670.00gap
Czech Republic
- Lukáš ProvodWingerNo natural backup0.38gap
- Patrik SchickStrikerCover: Mojmír Chytil · 0.600.30gap
- Matěj KovářGoalkeeperCover: Jindřich Staněk · 0.650.19gap
Gap = how far a side's rating at the position falls from the starter to his likely in-squad replacement (named under each name). Larger = harder to replace. Descriptive metric, does not feed the published probabilities. Methodology →
Match conditions
High-altitude venue. Mexico City sits at 2,240 m above sea level — thinner air affects stamina and ball flight.
- AltitudeHigh altitude2,240 m
- Avg temperatureFive-year mean over the tournament window17.7 °C
- Avg humidity70%
- Heat stressShade WBGT ~19.5 °CLow heat stress
- Pitch surfacenatural grass
Natural-grass football stadium; a new pitch was laid during the stadium's renovation ahead of the tournament.
Heat stress is a shade Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature proxy from the venue's climatology mean temperature and humidity; FIFA mandates cooling breaks at WBGT 32 °C. Evening kickoff (local time). These are long-window averages, not a match-day forecast, and they are not inputs to the forecast.
Top scorers · P(scores in this match)
- Raúl JiménezPKFW8.2%
- Santiago GiménezFW3.0%
- Hirving LozanoFW2.6%
- Patrik SchickFW4.2%
- Vladimír DaridaPKMF3.1%
- Tomáš ChorýFW2.2%
Per-player scoring rate from Model #5 (`p_score_per_match`). Reflects each player's npxG/90, expected minutes, team xG share, and the average opposing-team defence. See /docs/methodology/.
Recent match form
Last match player ratings
Mexico
vs Ecuador · avg 7.4
Czech Republic
vs South Africa · avg 6.5
Player scores from official highlight analysis of each team's most recent match. Observational, not a model input. Methodology →
Video analysis: player performance
Per-player ratings and event breakdowns from official highlights analysis. Tap a player to see their full match timeline.
9Julián Quiñones12'–105'Quiñones was instrumental in Mexico's attack, scoring two goals and providing an assist, showcasing excellent finishing and movement.
2goals2shots▼
Quiñones was instrumental in Mexico's attack, scoring two goals and providing an assist, showcasing excellent finishing and movement.
Match timeline
8Raúl Jiménez49'–49'Jiménez scored a crucial goal, demonstrating good positioning and finishing to extend Mexico's lead.
1goals▼
Jiménez scored a crucial goal, demonstrating good positioning and finishing to extend Mexico's lead.
Match timeline
8Luis Chávez51'–51'Chávez scored a brilliant individual goal, showcasing composure and skill in a counter-attacking move.
1goals▼
Chávez scored a brilliant individual goal, showcasing composure and skill in a counter-attacking move.
Match timeline
8Roberto Alvarado5'–141'Alvarado sealed the victory with a well-taken rebound goal, showing good predatory instincts in the box.
1goals1shots1on target▼
Alvarado sealed the victory with a well-taken rebound goal, showing good predatory instincts in the box.
Match timeline
8Guillermo Ochoa23'–98'Ochoa made several crucial saves throughout the match, maintaining a strong defensive presence and preserving Mexico's lead.
6saves▼
Ochoa made several crucial saves throughout the match, maintaining a strong defensive presence and preserving Mexico's lead.
Match timeline
7César Montes23'–23'Montes provided a solid defensive block, preventing a dangerous shot from reaching the goal.
1blocks▼
Montes provided a solid defensive block, preventing a dangerous shot from reaching the goal.
Match timeline
7Edson Álvarez39'–39'Álvarez effectively cleared a threatening corner, showcasing his defensive aerial ability and awareness.
1headers▼
Álvarez effectively cleared a threatening corner, showcasing his defensive aerial ability and awareness.
Match timeline
6AnguloAngulo contributed to the team's attacking efforts with a shot inside the box, but it was ultimately blocked.
Angulo contributed to the team's attacking efforts with a shot inside the box, but it was ultimately blocked.
6Ladislav Krejčí33'–33'Krejčí showed some attacking intent with a shot from a free kick, but it didn't lead to a goal.
1shots▼
Krejčí showed some attacking intent with a shot from a free kick, but it didn't lead to a goal.
Match timeline
6Yeboah ZamoraYeboah Zamora created several scoring opportunities but was unable to convert them, highlighting a struggle with finishing.
Yeboah Zamora created several scoring opportunities but was unable to convert them, highlighting a struggle with finishing.
6GalindezGalindez made one spectacular save but conceded multiple goals, reflecting a mixed performance under heavy pressure.
Galindez made one spectacular save but conceded multiple goals, reflecting a mixed performance under heavy pressure.
6RodriguezRodriguez had a late close-range shot saved, showing persistence in attack despite the scoreline.
Rodriguez had a late close-range shot saved, showing persistence in attack despite the scoreline.
5Matěj KovářKovář made an early save but ultimately conceded multiple goals, struggling to contain Mexico's clinical attack.
2saves▼
Kovář made an early save but ultimately conceded multiple goals, struggling to contain Mexico's clinical attack.
Match timeline
3HincapieHincapie's performance was severely marred by a late red card, which significantly impacted his team's ability to compete.
Hincapie's performance was severely marred by a late red card, which significantly impacted his team's ability to compete.
Match observations
- The match saw Czechia apply early pressure, creating several chances primarily from set pieces and wide runs.
- Mexico, however, proved clinical on the counter-attack, converting their opportunities efficiently.
- The game's momentum shifted decisively after Mexico's first goal, leading to a comfortable victory.
▸Under the hood
Model-by-model comparison
Mexico vs Czech Republic
| Model | Weight | Home | Draw | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EloRating-based strength estimate | 32% | 66.2% | 22.0% | 11.8% |
| Dixon-ColesGoal-process model with low-score correction | 63% | 43.0% | 29.7% | 27.3% |
| Hierarchical PoissonBayesian model with confederation pooling | 6% | 40.3% | 29.6% | 30.0% |
| Bayesian stackingLearned-weight combination | — | 53.0% | 29.3% | 17.7% |
| Ensemble (published)Uniform average + isotonic calibration | — | 45.5% | 27.5% | 27.0% |
How each model works
- Elo
- Each team carries a single strength rating updated after every match by a margin-aware K-factor. Match probabilities come from the logistic function of the rating gap. Elo is fast-adapting but coarse — it sees only who won and by how much, not how the goals were scored.
- Dixon-Coles
- A Poisson regression on team-level attack and defence parameters, fitted via maximum likelihood with an exponential time-decay weighting. The Dixon-Coles correction adjusts the four low-score cells (0-0, 1-0, 0-1, 1-1) where independent Poisson underestimates dependence. Produces full scoreline distributions, not just H/D/A.
- Hierarchical Poisson
- A Bayesian Poisson model fitted via MCMC (PyMC) with hierarchical priors that pool attack and defence parameters within confederations. Shrinks small-sample teams toward their confederation mean — helpful for nations with few recent competitive fixtures. Slower to fit but better-calibrated on the tails.
- Bayesian stacking
- Optimises simplex weights (w_elo, w_dc, w_hp) to maximise the leave-one-out log-score across a walk-forward backtest (Yao et al. 2018). The result is a weighted average of the three component models' probabilities, then isotonic-calibrated. Adds no extra features — just learns which component to trust more from historical accuracy.
- Ensemble (published)
- Equal-weight average of all three component models, followed by per-class isotonic regression calibration fitted on 24 months of walk-forward out-of-fold predictions. This is the probability published on the site. The uniform mean is deliberately simple — it avoids overfitting to the stacking weights' training window.
Three independent component models feed two combination strategies. The uniform ensemble is the published probability; Bayesian stacking uses learned weights. Amber bars flag >5pp divergence from the published number. Full methodology
Probability decomposition (transparency surface)
- Baseline ensemble — P(Mexico win)47.3%
- + Lineup contribution0.0pp
- + Style-matchup contribution0.0pp
- Published P(Mexico win)47.2%
Decomposition of the published P(Mexico win) into the calibrated- baseline plus contributions from the §2.3 expected-XI lineup delta and the §2.7 style-matchup interaction. The §2.7 roadmap is explicit that style effects are second-order to team strength — single-digit-percentage P(win) shifts on extreme style matchups, near-zero on balanced ones. We surface the decomposition for transparency even when the contributions are small; the baseline carries the prediction. Methodology: /docs/methodology.
For this fixture both contributions round to under 0.05pp — the fitted style-matchup pair effect is in the small-magnitude regime the model expects to dominate.
Head-to-head history
| Date | Competition | Venue | Score | Result | xG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Feb 2000 | Lunar New Year Cup | NSo Kon Po | 1–2 | L | — |
Mexico vs Czech Republic, every senior international meeting in the martj42 results dataset (score from Mexico's perspective; H/A/N = home/away/neutral).
Latest news & match context
No recent headlines for Mexico or Czech Republic.
- Stage:
- Group A · Matchday 3
- Date:
- 24 Jun
Mexico
Mexico come in at close to full strength.
Czech Republic
Czech Republic come in at close to full strength.
Mexico and Czech Republic both come in at close to full strength, so the forecast rests on baseline team strength rather than late team-news swings.
Availability from the predicted squads and injury feed; forecast adjustments from the model's own decomposition. See /docs/methodology/.
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