South Korea staged a 2-1 comeback win over the Czech Republic in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A opener held in Guadalajara on June 11. [1, 2, 3] Czech player Ladislav Krejci gave his team an early advantage with a second-half header, putting the visitors ahead before South Korea responded. [1, 2, 3]
The winning goals for South Korea came from Hwang In-beom and Oh Hyeon-gyu, securing the victory after a tough first half. [1, 2, 4, 3] South Korea’s captain Son Heung-min had an unusual off-day, missing five scoring chances in the first half before he was substituted. [1, 2, 4, 3]
Coach Hong Myung-bo praised Son despite the missed opportunities, calling him “our best player and a very stable captain” and saying, “We believe that Son did his best.” He stressed team unity, stating, “Before the match, I gave two messages: Not give up until the end and unite as one. Whether on the pitch or not, we need to play as one team.” [2]
Czech coach Miroslav Koubek acknowledged his team’s errors but described the South Koreans as the better side. He said, “We really made some mistakes but also made opportunities. Our opponent was very fast. The better team won. We had to fight and we did. Now we need to move on. We need to be more attacking and creative in the last 30 metres. In the attack we have room for improvement.” [3]
FIFA reported an attendance of 44,985 at the match. However, many empty seats raised questions about ticket pricing and demand in Guadalajara’s stadium, reported as having either 46,000 or 48,000 seats, depending on the source. [2, 3] FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended the ticket pricing on June 10 amid criticism over attendance figures for the 48-team World Cup. [2, 3]
Both South Korea and Mexico carry three points at the top of Group A after South Korea’s win and Mexico’s victory over South Africa. [2, 3] South Korea’s next group match will be against host nation Mexico on June 18, a game described by Hong as “very important.” [1, 2, 4, 3]