Mexico draws into Group B of the U-20 World Cup with Germany, Venezuela, and Vanuatu

Mexico will play in Group B of the U-20 World Cup in South Korea and will face Germany, Venezuela and Vanuatu. While Mexico got a tough team in Germany, they will face Venezuela and OFC team Vanuatu, arguably the weakest team of all 24 in the tournament. This is the total opposite of the “Group of Death” Mexico received in 2015, in which they finished last and were eliminated. As it's a 24-team World Cup, the top third-place finishers qualify to the next round, meaning that Germany, Mexico and Venezuela are almost all assured to go through to the next round with Vanuatu being in their group.

Mexico will open the group in Daejon on May 20 with Vanuatu, as the Oceania team makes their debut in a World Cup. They will then face their toughest rival in Germany on May 23 in the same city. Finally, they will close the group against Venezuela in a game that might decide who gets second or even who wins the group. That match will be in Suwon on May 26. The winner of Group B gets to play a 3rd place team in Daejon, while the runner up will face the runner up of Group F in Incheon.

Mexico was in Pot B along with Argentina, Costa Rica, Japan, Senegal and New Zealand. They got to the U-20 world cup after winning all three games in the group stages in the CONCACAF U-20 Championship, going through to the next round where they lost to the U.S. but beat El Salvador 6-1, clinching second place in the group and thus a ticket to the U-20 World Cup.