South Korea's 22-year-old Stoke City midfielder Bae Jun-ho is unlikely to appear in their opening match against the Czech Republic at the 2026 World Cup in Guadalajara on June 15 due to an ankle injury suffered during a 5-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago on May 30 [1, 2]. Bae missed South Korea’s 1-0 win over El Salvador on June 4 and has since been training alone in an effort to recover [1, 2].
South Korea qualified for their 11th consecutive World Cup after a challenging Asian qualification campaign [1, 2]. They entered the tournament with momentum from reaching the last 16 in 2022, when Hwang Hee-chan scored a stoppage-time winner against Portugal. Hwang said, "If I can have another play like that, it will be great for myself and for our team. Every match is important, but the first match is especially so" [1].
The Czech Republic arrive in strong form, having won six matches across qualification and warm-ups, including a 3-1 victory over Guatemala on June 6 [1, 2]. Striker Tomas Chory scored in that warm-up game and is expected to play a key role against South Korea [1, 2]. Czech coach Miroslav Koubek, 74, took over after a qualification setback caused by a loss to the Faroe Islands and led the team to their first World Cup since 2006 through playoffs [1, 2]. Despite the 3-1 win against Guatemala, Koubek acknowledged defensive issues: "Some defensive solutions were not entirely decisive, that's true. We should have been more assertive in the duels. There were some slip-ups" [1].
The Czech team will rely on experienced attackers like Patrik Schick, who also scored versus Guatemala, and Adam Hlozek to challenge the Korean defense [1, 2].
As of June 11, South Korea’s squad prepares for the June 15 kickoff with Bae Jun-ho still doubtful to play [1, 2].