Group A · Matchday 3

MexicovsCzech Republic

2026-06-24·19:00 localPredictions finalised

Snapshot · 2026-07-14Model 1.0.0Final prediction · locked 24 Jun, 22:56 UTCMexico·Czech Republic·Head-to-head →·
Full time · forecast gradedMexico 3 0 Czech RepublicThe locked pre-match forecast has been graded against this result.See the calibration recap →

The forecast

Match-outcome probability

  • Mexico win
    42.4%
  • Draw
    28.6%
  • Czech Republic win
    29.0%

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%.

Likeliest score1–113.8%
First goal0-15'31.2%
Both teams score45.3%
Over 2.5 goals38.9%
Top scorerJiménez8.2%
Expected goals1.3 - 0.9
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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

Steady

Mexico 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

Steady

Czech 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

Mexico
1.29
Czech Republic
0.95

Mean of the Dixon-Coles joint goal distribution. Same fit that produces the most-likely-scoreline list below.

Most likely scorelines

  • 1–1
    13.8%
  • 1–0
    12.9%
  • 0–0
    11.4%
  • 0–1
    9.3%
  • 2–0
    8.9%

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

  • 0–0
    33.2%
  • 1–0
    20.5%
  • 0–1
    14.9%
  • 1–1
    10.6%
  • 2–0
    6.8%

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 goals
    88.6%
  • More than 1.5 goals
    66.4%
  • More than 2.5 goals
    38.9%
  • More than 3.5 goals
    18.9%
  • More than 4.5 goals
    7.7%
  • More than 5.5 goals
    2.7%
  • Both teams score
    45.3%

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%
  • Draw
    29.8%
  • 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

0%25%50%75%100%0'15'30'45'60'75'90'
  • 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

  • 0–15
    31.2%
  • 15–30
    21.5%
  • 30–45
    14.8%
  • 45–60
    10.2%
  • 60–75
    7.0%
  • 75–90
    4.8%
  • No goal
    10.6%

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

Joint probability of half-time and full-time results
HT ↓ / FT →HMexico winDDrawACzech Republic win
HMexico ahead27.5%4.6%1.2%
DLevel15.1%19.3%10.1%
ACzech Republic ahead1.7%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 FT
    6.3%
  • Czech Republic trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT
    5.8%

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%.

How they play

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).

What they must execute

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.

Storylines
Veteran #1: Guillermo Ochoa40 at kickoff with 151 caps — last World Cup for the #1.
Altitude schedule: 3 group-stage matches at altitude — Mexico City (2240m), Guadalajara (1565m), Mexico City (2240m). Thinner air shifts ball flight and recovery.
Club core: 4 of 26 predicted-squad players play their club football for Guadalajara — a single-club spine on the international side.

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%.

How they play

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).

What they must execute

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.

Storylines
Club core: 8 of 26 predicted-squad players play their club football for Slavia Prague — a single-club spine on the international side.
Teen starter: Hugo Sochůrek18 at kickoff — 0 caps — projected on the bench, the squad's youngest pick.
Scoring form: Averaged 2.40 xG per match across 8 recent internationals — #5 of 35 in the field for attacking output.
Set-piece outlook

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)

Penalty outlook

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

Mexicohigh-press
PPDA
16.1
Possession
55%
Directness (yds/pass)
6.7
Long balls/90
37
Set-piece xG
10%
Czech Republiccounter-attacker
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

  1. Johan VásquezCentre-backCover: Jesús Alberto Angulo · 0.690.22gap
  2. Edson ÁlvarezDefensive midfieldCover: Luis Chávez · 0.700.19gap
  3. Orbelín PinedaCentral midfieldCover: Érick Sánchez · 0.670.00gap

Czech Republic

  1. Lukáš ProvodWingerNo natural backup0.38gap
  2. Patrik SchickStrikerCover: Mojmír Chytil · 0.600.30gap
  3. 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)

Mexico
Czech Republic

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

8
G. MoraST
ATK
DEF
PAS
8
Uriel AntunaRW
ATK
DEF
PAS
8
Raúl JiménezST
ATK
DEF
PAS
7
Guillermo OchoaGK
ATK
DEF
PAS
7
Carlos AcevedoGK
ATK
DEF
PAS
7
Roberto AlvaradoCM
ATK
DEF
PAS
7
César MontesCB
ATK
DEF
PAS

Czech Republic

vs South Africa · avg 6.5

7
Patrik SchickST
ATK
DEF
PAS
6
Lukáš SadílekCM
ATK
DEF
PAS

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.

Mexico
9
Julián Quiñones12'–105'

Quiñones was instrumental in Mexico's attack, scoring two goals and providing an assist, showcasing excellent finishing and movement.

2goals2shots

Match timeline

12'Mexico's #14 has a shot blocked inside the penalty area.
17'Mexico's #14 shoots wide of the goal from inside the box.
37'Julian Quiñones (#14) scores for Mexico, making it 1-0.
49'Jimenez (#9) scores Mexico's second goal after a pass from Quiñones, making it 2-0.
105'Quinones (MEX) scores Mexico's second goal, beating the goalkeeper after a through ball.
8
Raúl Jiménez49'–49'

Jiménez scored a crucial goal, demonstrating good positioning and finishing to extend Mexico's lead.

1goals

Match timeline

49'Jimenez (#9) scores Mexico's second goal after a pass from Quiñones, making it 2-0.
8
Luis Chávez51'–51'

Chávez scored a brilliant individual goal, showcasing composure and skill in a counter-attacking move.

1goals

Match timeline

51'Chavez (MEX) scores the opening goal after a counter-attack, dribbling past the goalkeeper.
8
Roberto Alvarado5'–141'

Alvarado sealed the victory with a well-taken rebound goal, showing good predatory instincts in the box.

1goals1shots1on target

Match timeline

5'Mexico's #7 attempts a shot on goal, which is saved by the Ecuador goalkeeper.
141'Alvarado (MEX) scores Mexico's third goal from a rebound inside the box.
141'R. ALVARADO: Player 25 (R. Alvarado) was involved in a goal-scoring sequence, showing good positioning.
8
Guillermo Ochoa23'–98'

Ochoa made several crucial saves throughout the match, maintaining a strong defensive presence and preserving Mexico's lead.

6saves

Match timeline

23'Ecuador's #9 Yeboah Zamora's shot is blocked by Mexico's #3 C. Montes and then saved by the Mexico goalkeeper.
64'Ecuador's #9 Yeboah Zamora's shot is saved by Mexico's goalkeeper #1.
76'A shot from outside the box by an Ecuador player is saved by the Mexico goalkeeper.
96'Ecuador's #11 Rodriguez's shot from close range is saved by the Mexico goalkeeper.
98'Ecuador's #7 Hincapie's shot from outside the box is saved by the Mexico goalkeeper.
7
César Montes23'–23'

Montes provided a solid defensive block, preventing a dangerous shot from reaching the goal.

1blocks

Match timeline

23'Ecuador's #9 Yeboah Zamora's shot is blocked by Mexico's #3 C. Montes and then saved by the Mexico goalkeeper.
7
Edson Álvarez39'–39'

Álvarez effectively cleared a threatening corner, showcasing his defensive aerial ability and awareness.

1headers

Match timeline

39'A Czech corner is cleared by Alvarez (MEX) with a header.
6
Angulo

Angulo contributed to the team's attacking efforts with a shot inside the box, but it was ultimately blocked.

Czech Republic
6
Ladislav Krejčí33'–33'

Krejčí showed some attacking intent with a shot from a free kick, but it didn't lead to a goal.

1shots

Match timeline

33'A free kick for Czech results in a shot by Krechi (CZE) that deflects wide.
33'A free kick for Czech results in a shot by Krechi (CZE) that deflects wide.
6
Yeboah Zamora

Yeboah Zamora created several scoring opportunities but was unable to convert them, highlighting a struggle with finishing.

6
Galindez

Galindez made one spectacular save but conceded multiple goals, reflecting a mixed performance under heavy pressure.

6
Rodriguez

Rodriguez had a late close-range shot saved, showing persistence in attack despite the scoreline.

5
Matěj Kovář

Kovář made an early save but ultimately conceded multiple goals, struggling to contain Mexico's clinical attack.

2saves

Match timeline

3
Hincapie

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

High disagreement (25.9%)
ModelWeightHomeDrawAway
EloRating-based strength estimate32%
66.2%
22.0%
11.8%
Dixon-ColesGoal-process model with low-score correction63%
43.0%
29.7%
27.3%
Hierarchical PoissonBayesian model with confederation pooling6%
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%
Home spread: 25.9%
Draw spread: 7.7%
Away spread: 18.3%
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%
Mexico
47.2%
Draw
27.3%
Czech Republic
25.4%

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

DateCompetitionVenueScoreResultxG
8 Feb 2000Lunar New Year CupNSo Kon Po12L

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

Team news

No recent headlines for Mexico or Czech Republic.

Match conditions
Stage:
Group A · Matchday 3
Date:
24 Jun
Availability

Mexico

Mexico come in at close to full strength.

Czech Republic

Czech Republic come in at close to full strength.

What it means

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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