South Korea vs Czechia
Key Details
FIFA World Cup 2026 – Group A
Estadio Akron, Guadalajara, Mexico
Thursday, 11 June 2026
Kick-off: 03:00 BST, Friday 12 June
Our Prediction
South Korea 1-0 Czechia
Key Stat
South Korea have kept three clean sheets in their last five matches; Czechia have kept just one
Top Tip
Under 2.5 goals

Jump to a section

Match Preview
Team News and Predicted XIs
Head to Head
Tips and Prediction

South Korea and Czechia open their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaigns in Group A at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, meeting for the first time in an official fixture despite a history that stretches back to 1998.

The Taegeuk Warriors, ranked 25th by FIFA, enter the tournament as favourites against Czechia, ranked 40th in the world, who are making their first World Cup appearance in twenty years.

South Korea vs Czechia: match preview and recent form

Recent form
S Korea
W
L
L
W
W
Czechia
W
W
W
W
W

Hong Myung-Bo’s side arrive at this match having won two games in a row, but the road to Guadalajara has not been without its difficulties.

South Korea suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to Ivory Coast and a 0-1 loss to Austria in back-to-back spring fixtures, results that raised genuine questions about the solidity of their defence.

The response was convincing: a 5-0 demolition of Trinidad and Tobago, in which Son Heung-min scored twice, followed by a 1-0 win over El Salvador through a Lee Dong-gyeong free kick, with Son coming off the bench in the second half.

Son Heung-min remains the focal point of the South Korean attack, with 56 goals in 144 appearances and just two away from equalling the all-time national record held by Cha Bum-kun for the past 40 years.

The Los Angeles FC forward recorded 14 goal involvements during AFC qualifying.

Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain provides creativity and technical quality from one of the two attacking-midfield positions, having led South Korea for assists during qualifying.

The defensive foundations rest primarily on Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae, who will marshal a back three.

Hong Myung-Bo shifted from a four-man defence to a 3-4-2-1 during the preparation period, a change designed to provide greater width through the wing-backs while maintaining central compactness.

Lee Gi-hyuk and Lee Han-beom complete the back three, with Hwang In-beom and Lee Jae-sung providing a midfield screen in front of the defence.

Three clean sheets from their last five matches suggest that, when organised and focused, this defence has the tools to control a game.

The two heavy defeats came against opponents of clearly superior quality: Ivory Coast, who are ranked 33rd in the world, and a well-organised Austria side that exploited the spaces left by the wing-backs when South Korea lost the ball in the attacking third.

South Korea vs Czechia – comparison
Last 5 games
South Korea
Czechia
FIFA Ranking
25
40
Wins
3
5
Draws
0
0
Losses
2
0
Goals scored
7
15
Goals conceded
5
6
Clean sheets
3
1

Czechia arrive in North America on a five-match winning run, a sequence that includes a 6-0 win over Gibraltar, two penalty-shootout victories in the World Cup play-offs and friendly wins over Kosovo and Guatemala.

That unbeaten run masks a notable vulnerability, however: Czechia have kept just one clean sheet across those five games.

The two penalty-shootout victories over Ireland and Denmark in the play-offs showcased the composure of goalkeeper Matej Kovar, the PSV Eindhoven stopper who has displaced the more experienced Jindrich Stanek as first choice.

His shot-stopping quality and distribution have been central to how Czechia play, and his performances under pressure in those shootouts have given the group genuine confidence.

Patrik Schick leads the attack with 26 goals in 53 international appearances, including six in seven major-tournament outings and five during qualifying.

The Bayer Leverkusen forward combines well with Pavel Sulc, who operates just behind him as the team’s creative force, while Tomas Soucek remains a dominant aerial presence capable of arriving late into the opposition box.

Set pieces are a defining characteristic of this Czechia side.

Over half of their qualifying goals came from dead-ball situations, and with Soucek, Schick and Tomas Chory all standing above six feet, the aerial threat in the opposition area is considerable.

South Korea’s back three will need to be disciplined and well-organised at every set piece throughout the contest.

The two draws against Ireland and Denmark before those shootout wins revealed that Czechia can be pressed into surrendering possession and territory when a high press is applied through the middle of the pitch.

South Korea’s attacking pair – particularly the interplay between Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in – will look to exploit any space that opens between the midfield block and the Czech defence.

South Korea vs Czechia: team news

South Korea

Outs and doubts – South Korea
Doubt
Lee Tae-seok
Defender – Austria Wien – fitness concern
Doubt
Bae Jun-ho
Midfielder – Stoke City – fitness concern

Lee Tae-seok and Bae Jun-ho enter this opening match carrying fitness doubts.

Lee Tae-seok, 23, occupies the left wing-back slot in the probable line-up, and his absence would force Hong Myung-Bo to reconfigure that side of his 3-4-2-1.

Bae Jun-ho of Stoke City brings energy and pressing intensity from midfield, and the 22-year-old should remain available despite his fitness concern.

Defender Cho Yu-min was not included in the final 26-man squad after sustaining a foot injury during pre-tournament friendlies.

His replacement, Cho Wi-je of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, has just one international cap and is among the least experienced members of the squad.

Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae and Lee Kang-in are all available, forming the experienced core around which the squad is built.

Son arrives at this tournament with 144 caps and 56 goals, making him the most-capped active player in South Korean footballing history.

Czechia

Outs and doubts – Czechia
Doubt
Jan Kuchta
Forward – Sparta Prague – ankle injury (friendly vs Kosovo)

Jan Kuchta is the only player officially carrying a doubt for Czechia ahead of this opening fixture.

The Sparta Prague forward picked up an ankle injury during the friendly win over Kosovo and will be managed carefully by the coaching staff.

His absence would limit Koubek’s attacking options from the bench, as Kuchta serves primarily as backup to Schick.

Goalkeeper Matej Kovar arrives at the World Cup having confirmed his starting position through two commanding penalty-shootout displays in the play-offs.

The 26-year-old PSV Eindhoven keeper will start ahead of Jindrich Stanek of Slavia Prague, whose 14 caps nevertheless represent considerable experience at this level.

Tomas Soucek retains his place in the starting line-up despite being stripped of the captaincy by Koubek, who opted to hand the armband to Ladislav Krejci from the defensive line.

His aerial dominance, ground coverage and 90 caps make him one of the most important players in the squad regardless of the armband.

Adam Hlozek is in the squad and provides Koubek with a dynamic attacking option from the bench, while 18-year-old Hugo Sochurek of Sparta Prague is the youngest member of the group.

South Korea vs Czechia: predicted line-ups

Predicted line-up South Korea (3-4-2-1): S Kim; M Kim, H Lee, G Lee; T Lee, J Lee, I Hwang, Y Seol; K Lee, H Son; H Hwang

Predicted line-up
South Korea
3-4-2-1
H Hwang
K Lee
H Son
J Lee
I Hwang
T Lee
Y Seol
G Lee
M Kim
H Lee
S Kim

Predicted line-up Czechia (3-4-2-1): M Kovar; L Krejci, R Hranac, S Chaloupek; D Jurasek, T Soucek, M Sadilek, V Coufal; L Provod, P Sulc; P Schick

Predicted line-up
Czechia
3-4-2-1
P Schick
L Provod
P Sulc
T Soucek
M Sadilek
D Jurasek
V Coufal
L Krejci
R Hranac
S Chaloupek
M Kovar

South Korea vs Czechia: head-to-head record

South Korea vs Czechia – head to head
South Korea
1 – 1
Czechia
Last meeting: Czech Republic 1-2 South Korea – 5 June 2016 (Friendly)
1 SK win1 draw1 CZ win

South Korea and Czechia have met just three times in their history, always in friendlies, making this their first competitive encounter.

The record is perfectly balanced: one win each and a draw across three meetings spread over 28 years.

The first meeting, in May 1998, ended 2-2.

Three years later, in August 2001, Czech Republic produced the most dominant performance in the series with a 5-0 win in a friendly.

The most recent meeting took place in Prague on 5 June 2016, when South Korea won 2-1 through goals from Yoon Bit-garam and Suk Hyun-jun before Marek Suchy pulled one back.

The squads that met in 1998 and 2001 bear no relation to those who will take the field on Thursday, and the 2016 result belongs to an entirely different generation of players.

The competitive context here – a World Cup group-stage match with qualification for the round of 32 at stake – creates pressures that no friendly can replicate.

What this record does confirm is that neither side holds a psychological advantage over the other, and the outcome in Guadalajara will be determined by quality on the pitch.

South Korea vs Czechia: predictions and betting tips

South Korea hold the superior FIFA ranking and carry stronger recent momentum, but Czechia arrive with five straight wins and a well-defined tactical identity.

For more World Cup betting analysis throughout the tournament, head to our football betting guide.

Odds are subject to change.

Top Tip
Under 2.5 goals
1.72
South Korea have kept clean sheets in three of their last five matches, and Czechia’s goals have come primarily against weaker opposition. Opening group-stage matches between sides with little familiarity tend to produce cautious football with few clear chances, and both managers will prioritise not losing above all else.
Value Bet
South Korea to win
2.65
South Korea are ranked 15 places above Czechia in the FIFA standings (25th vs 40th) and carry superior individual quality in the attacking third. Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in represent a creative threat that Czechia’s back three may struggle to contain, and two wins at the end of the preparation period suggest Hong Myung-Bo’s side are peaking at the right time. Those looking at this market can find competitive odds at bet365, as outlined in our bet365 review.
Longshot
Correct score: South Korea 1-0
7.00
This outcome sits squarely within the logic of the final score prediction, the defensive profiles of both sides and the caution typically seen in World Cup opening matches. South Korea’s clean-sheet record combined with Czechia’s difficulty in keeping their own goal intact suggests a narrow winning margin is the most likely scenario if South Korea prevail.
Free Choice
Both Teams to Score – No
1.85
Czechia rely primarily on set pieces as their route to goal, a threat that South Korea’s back three led by Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae are well equipped to deal with. South Korea have kept three clean sheets in their last five matches, and Czechia’s open-play attacking output has been limited beyond the comfortable contexts of Gibraltar and Guatemala.
Score prediction
South Korea 1-0 Czechia
South Korea carry superior individual quality in attack and a more convincing defensive record across recent matches. Czechia’s ability to create chances outside of set pieces remains unproven against a well-organised back three, and a World Cup environment will not produce the open game that served the Czechs well against Gibraltar and Guatemala.
  • South Korea have kept three clean sheets in their last five matches
  • Czechia have kept just one clean sheet in their last five matches
  • Son Heung-min has scored 56 goals in 144 appearances for South Korea
  • South Korea are ranked 15 places above Czechia in the FIFA standings (25th vs 40th)
  • This will be the first competitive meeting between these two nations

South Korea vs Czechia: FAQs

When and where is South Korea vs Czechia?
South Korea face Czechia at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico. Kick-off is at 03:00 BST in the early hours of Friday 12 June 2026. The match is a Group A fixture at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
What is our South Korea vs Czechia prediction?
We are predicting a 1-0 win for South Korea. The Taegeuk Warriors are ranked 25th in the FIFA standings – 15 places above Czechia – and carry superior individual quality through Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in. Their three clean sheets from the last five matches indicate they have the defensive tools to keep Czechia at bay.
What is our South Korea vs Czechia top tip?
Our top tip is Under 2.5 goals. Both sides operate with a disciplined defensive shape, and opening World Cup group-stage fixtures between sides with little prior history tend to produce cautious football with few goals. South Korea have kept three clean sheets in their last five matches.
Have South Korea and Czechia played each other before?
Yes, the two nations have met three times in their history, all of which were friendlies. The record is perfectly balanced, with one win apiece and a draw. The most recent encounter was on 5 June 2016 in Prague, which South Korea won 2-1. Thursday’s match will be their first competitive fixture.
Can Czechia spring an upset?
Czechia arrive on a five-match winning run and have genuine quality in Patrik Schick, who has scored 26 goals in 53 international appearances, including six in seven major-tournament matches. Their set-piece threat is real and considerable. With the right defensive organisation and by capitalising on that strength, a positive result is achievable.
What formation will South Korea use?
South Korea are expected to line up in a 3-4-2-1, with Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae leading the back three. Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in will occupy the two attacking-midfield positions behind striker Hwang Hee-chan.
What is Son Heung-min’s international goal record?
Son Heung-min comes into the 2026 World Cup with 56 goals in 144 appearances for South Korea, making him the most-capped active player in the country’s footballing history. He is two goals away from equalling the all-time national scoring record, held by Cha Bum-kun for the past 40 years.