Germany were once again frontrunners to win the competition four years after their victory in Brazil with a strong squad helmed by the fresh and experienced likes of Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos and Timo Werner.
That's not to say that they won't suffer from the "Champions' Curse", however – as previous World Cup winners have faced a not-so-appealing fate when attempting to defend their title.
South Korea and Sweden make up the rest of Group F in what is seen as a tough series of challenges, which also sees the latter team returning to their first World Cup in 12 years (though without Zlatan Ibrahimovic).
Goal will take a look at the rundown of the Group F fixtures ahead of the June start, as well as what to expect from each team and more.
World Cup 2018 - Group F Fixtures
| Date | Fixture | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 17 | Germany 0-1 Mexico | 4pm UK / 11am US ET | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow |
| June 17 | Sweden 1-0 South Korea | 1pm UK / 8am US ET | Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod |
| June 22 | South Korea 1-2 Mexico | 4pm UK / 11am US ET | Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don |
| June 22 | Germany 2-1 Sweden | 7pm UK / 2pm US ET | Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi |
| June 27 | South Korea 2-0 Germany | 3pm UK / 10am US ET | Kazan Arena, Kazan |
| June 27 | Mexico 0-3 Sweden | 3pm UK / 10am US ET | Central Stadium, Ekaterinburg |
Mexico stunned reigning champions Germany in their opening match, with Hirving Lozano's goal sparking celebrations across the North American nation.
An Andreas Granqvist penalty - given after consulting VAR - was the difference between Sweden and South Korea, with the latter falling to a 1-0 defeat.
El Tri were once again on the ends of an impressive victory – this time against South Korea – when they won 2-1, thanks to goals from Carlos Vela and Javier Hernandez. Hernandez scored a historic 50th goal for Mexico and remains his country's all-time top-scorer.
Germany were thrown a lifeline with their 2-1 win over Sweden after trailing in the first half, which would have eliminated them from the competition. Goals by Marco Reus and Toni Kroos in the second half put them second in Group F.
However, in the final round of games, there was major drama as Germany crashed out of the competition and Sweden pipped Mexico to top spot.
Sweden claimed an impressive 3-0 victory over Mexico, who were left with a nervous wait as Germany went into stoppage-time against Korea with the score at 0-0 and knowing a goal would send them through at El Tri's expense.
But, not only did Germany fail to score the goal they needed, they also conceded twice, firstly after the correct use of VAR and secondly after Manuel Neuer was caught upfield. That earned Korea a 2-0 win and left Germany bottom of the group.
World Cup 2018 - Group F Table Standings
| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GD | PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sweden | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 2 | Mexico | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 6 |
| 3 | South Korea | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | Germany | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 3 |
World Cup 2018 - Group F Squads
Germany's 23-man squad: Manuel Neuer, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Kevin Trapp; Jerome Boateng, Matthias Ginter, Jonas Hector, Mats Hummels, Joshua Kimmich, Marvin Plattenhardt, Antonio Rudiger, Niklas Sule; Julian Brandt, Julian Draxler, Mario Gomez, Leon Goretzka, Ilkay Gundogan, Sami Khedira, Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil, Marco Reus, Sebastian Rudy, Timo Werner
Mexico's 23-man squad: Jesus Corona, Alfredo Talavera, Guillermo Ochoa; Hugo Ayala, Carlos Salcedo, Diego Reyes, Miguel Layun, Hector Moreno, Edson Alvarez; Rafael Marquez, Jonathan dos Santos, Marco Fabian, Giovani dos Santos, Hector Herrera, Andres Guardado; Raul Jimenez, Carlos Vela, Javier Hernandez, Jesus Corona, Oribe Peralta, Javier Aquino, Hirving Lozano
Sweden's 23-man squad: Robin Olsen, Karl-Johan Johnsson, Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Mikael Lustig, Victor Lindelof, Andreas Granqvist, Martin Olsson, Ludwig Augustinsson, Filip Helander, Emil Krafth, Pontus Jansson, Sebastian Larsson, Albin Ekdal, Emil Forsberg, Gustav Svensson, Oscar Hiljemark, Viktor Claesson, Marcus Rohden, Jimmy Durmaz, Marcus Berg, John Guidetti, Ola Toivonen, Isaac Kiese Thelin
South Korea's 23-man squad: Kim Seunggyu, Kim Jinhyeon, Cho Hyeonwoo, Kim Younggwon, Jang Hyunsoo, Jeong Seunghyeon, Yun Yeongseon, Oh Bansuk, Kim Minwoo, Park Jooho, Hong Chul, Go Yohan, Lee Yong, Ki Sungyueng, Jeong Wooyoung, Ju Sejong, Koo Jacheol, Lee Jaesung, Lee Seungwoo, Moon Sunmin, Kim Shinwook, Son Heungmin, Hwang Heechan