South Korea and Czechia kick off their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaigns in Group A at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara. Despite a shared football history dating back to 1998, this will be their first meeting in an official match. Ranked 25th in the world, the Taegeuk Warriors head into the clash as favourites, while 40th-ranked Czechia return to the World Cup stage for the first time in two decades.

Hong Myung-Bo’s side come into this match on a two-game winning streak, though their build-up to Guadalajara has been far from smooth. South Korea endured a difficult spell in the spring, suffering a heavy 4-0 defeat to Ivory Coast followed by a narrow 1-0 loss to Austria, results that exposed defensive vulnerabilities and raised concerns.

They responded emphatically, thrashing Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 with Son Heung-min netting twice, before edging past El Salvador 1-0 thanks to a free-kick from Lee Dong-gyeong, with Son making an impact off the bench.

Heung-min Son remains the heartbeat of South Korea’s attack, boasting 56 goals in 144 appearances, just two shy of the long-standing national record held by Cha Bum-kun. Now playing for Los Angeles FC, Son also contributed 14 goal involvements during AFC qualifying. Creativity in midfield will rely heavily on the shoulders of Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain, who led the team in assists during qualifying. At the back, Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich anchors the defence, forming part of a back three alongside Lee Gi-hyuk and Lee Han-beom.

With three clean sheets in their last five matches, South Korea have shown they can be defensively solid when organised. Notably, their heavy defeats came against stronger opposition, Ivory Coast and a disciplined Austria side, both of whom capitalised on the space left behind when the wing-backs pushed forward.

South Korea vs Czechia Team News And Injury Updates

South Korea

Lee Tae-seok and Bae Jun-ho head into the opener with fitness concerns, though Bae is still expected to be available. Lee’s potential absence at left wing-back could force Hong Myung-Bo to adjust his 3-4-2-1 setup.

Defender Cho Yu-min misses out after a foot injury, with Cho Wi-je, who has just one cap, named as his replacement.

Key figures Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae and Lee Kang-in are all fit, forming the experienced core. Son, with 144 caps and 56 goals, remains the most-capped active player in South Korea’s history.

Czechia

Jan Kuchta is Czechia’s only injury concern after picking up an ankle issue, and may be used cautiously, limiting depth behind Patrik Schick. Matej Kovar is set to start in goal ahead of Jindrich Stanek following strong play-off performances.

Tomas Soucek remains key despite losing the captaincy to Ladislav Krejci, while Adam Hlozek adds attacking depth and Hugo Sochurek is the squad’s youngest member.

South Korea vs Czechia Prediction: Can Czechia Overcome Their World Cup Nostalgia?

Czechia is making a comeback at the grandest stage of the footballing world more than 2 decades later. Naturally, there can be early jolts for Miroslav Koube’s young Czech team. On the other hand, South Korea has a lot of arsenal within their ranks with the likes of Heung-min Son, Lee Kang-In and Kim Min Jae.

If Czechia can capitalise on their significant height advantage, spearheaded by Patrik Schick and Tomáš Chorý, they could bypass midfield play and threaten South Korea through set pieces.

However, South Korea’s elite attacking experience, especially with Son Heung-min likely featuring in his final World Cup, may prove decisive in edging out a narrow win.

Predicted Scoreline: 2-1 in favour of South Korea