Group A’s South Korea and Czechia will face off in the second game of the World Cup 2026 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
LAFC’s Son Heung-Min is captaining the side featuring Wolves’ Hwang Hee-Chan and Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-Jae.
They will be favourites to beat Czechia, who count West Ham midfielder Tomáš Souček among their most experienced players.
Managed since 2024 by Hong Myung-Bo, South Korea come into this World Cup sitting 25th in the FIFA World Rankings and fresh off the back of successive wins in warm-up friendlies against Trinidad & Tobago and El Salvador.
But a 4-0 defeat to the Ivory Coast and a narrow loss to Austria in the March international break may give fans cause for concern.
Czechia - 40th in the FIFA rankings - overcame Denmark on penalties in March’s playoff to reach their first World Cup since 2006 and their second ever. They warmed up with two wins against Kosovo and Guatemala.
A danger-man for the Czechs could be Bayer Leverkusen’s Patrick Schick, who scored five goals in eight World Cup qualification games.
The first game in Group A saw co-hosts Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 in the opening game, which saw three red cards.
Where to watch South Korea vs Czechia for FREE
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on ITV1, with coverage starting at 2.30am BST ahead of a 3am kickoff.
Live stream: UK viewers can also catch the contest live online via ITVX app or the channel’s website.
Free highlights: World Cup highlights are available on FIFA’s official YouTube channel, along with ITVX app and their websites.
