South Korea v Czechia; Mexico v South Africa Group A results, teams, games, schedule, how to watch
This will be the second match of the opening day of the tournament and will be the first clash in 20 years between Asia’s most successful team at the World Cup and an assertive European country.
Son Heung-min’s Koreans are ranked 25th by FIFA and begin their campaign in Guadalajara with the aim of at least equalizing their place in the round of 16 in Qatar, where they beat Portugal in extra time. The 2002 semi-finalists are more excited than world number 40 Czech Republic and will be looking for a first win, given Mexico also won this morning.
Son, a former Tottenham favorite who now plays for Los Angeles FC, will be making his fourth World Cup appearance, possibly his last. The 33-year-old player is part of the squad that also includes Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae and Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in.
The Czechs returned to the World Cup after two decades, with a UEFA qualifying campaign featuring penalty shoot-out victories turning around since Miroslav Koubek was appointed coach in December 2025.
The team finished second in 1934 and 1962 under the Czechoslovak flag, but have only made four appearances since then, progressing from the group stage in one of them: a run to the quarter-finals in 1990.
