- Our South Korea vs Czech Republic prediction article features everything you need to know.
- The game will kick off on Friday at 0500 EAT.
- The match will be played at Guadalajara Stadium in Mexico
Asian heavyweights South Korea will be looking for a perfect start to their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign when they take on the Czech Republic at the Guadalajara Stadium in Mexico early Friday morning.
South Korea, who are captained by former Tottenham Hotspur talisman Son Heung-Min, will be playing in their 11th consecutive World Cup finals and are the first Asian nation to appear at 12 separate tournaments.
They were the only unbeaten team throughout AFC qualifying, winning 11 and drawing five matches while racking up 40 goals in the process, Son emerging as top scorer with ten goals.
Son, who currently plays in the US for Los Angeles FC, is just two goals away from equaling South Korea’s all-time scoring record, held by Cha Bum-kun for the last 40 years.
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On the other hand, the Czech Republic are only making their second appearance, following on from debut in 2006 where they exited in the group stage.
They come into the tournament jointly co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico having passed through two play-offs to seal their qualification.
The Czechs’ towering team will pose a serious threat from set pieces with half of their qualifying goals coming via dead-ball situations, including seven from corners.
What time is South Korea vs Czech Republic?
The match will kick off on Friday at 5am EAT at the Guadalajara Stadium in Mexico.
South Korea vs Czech Republic Team News
Captain Son Heung-min should start up front for the South Koreans.
Hwang Hee-chan, Lee Jae-sung and Paris Saint-Germain forward Lee Kang-in are also in contention for a start as well as Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae who will be relied upon for defensive cover.
Defender Cho Yu-min has been ruled out after sustaining a foot injury with uncapped Jo Wi-je called up as replacement.
Just like Son, Czech will rely on Patrik Schick to provide firepower in front of goal. He has previously scored six goals in seven major tournament appearances for the Czech Republic and also netted five times in qualifying.
Pavel Sulc will be the Czechs’ key creator, playing just ahead of experienced midfielder Tomas Soucek, who was stripped of the captaincy earlier this year.
Captain Ladislav Krejci and playoff penalty hero goalkeeper Matej Kovar are also expected to feature from the start.
South Korea possible starting lineup:
Kim Seung-gyu; Lee Gi-hyuk, Kim Min-jae, Lee Han-beom; Seol Young-woo, Hwang In-beom, Paik Seung-ho, Lee Tae-seok; Hwang Hee-chan, Lee Jae-sung; Son Heung-min
Czech Republic possible starting lineup:
Kovar; Chaloupek, Hranac, Krejci; Coufal, Cerv, Soucek, Jurasek; Provod, Sulc; Schick
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South Korea vs Czech Republic H2H and current form
This will be the first competitive meeting and first meeting since a 2016 friendly in 2016 won 2-1 by South Korea.
South Korea form (all competitions): WWLLWW
Czech Republic form (all competitions): WWWWWW
South Korea vs Czech Republic Prediction
This Group A encounter has all the hallmarks of being a very tightly contested encounter with both sides keen to make a good start in the tournament.
Both sides may be extremely cautious leading to high chances of a low scoring affair.
