South Korea came from behind to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A opener on Thursday in Zapopan, a city in the western Mexican state of Jalisco adjacent to Guadalajara, with Hwang In-beom and Oh Hyeon-gyu scoring second-half goals to secure a crucial three points at Estadio Guadalajara.
After a subdued first half in which both sides were jeered off the pitch, the Czech Republic broke the deadlock in the 59th minute when captain Ladislav Krejci — who plays his club football at Girona — converted a header from a long throw-in into the penalty area. South Korea, ranked 25th by FIFA against the Czechs' 38th, responded with purpose. Hwang, a midfielder for Dutch club Feyenoord, levelled in the 67th minute with a deft dummy that left two Czech defenders and PSV Eindhoven goalkeeper Matej Kovár stranded before rolling the ball into the net. Thirteen minutes later, Hwang surged down the right flank and delivered a pinpoint cross for Oh Hyeon-gyu to tap home the winner. A Czech goal from Tomas Soucek had been ruled out for offside in between.
Captain Son Heung-min — the former Tottenham Hotspur forward who joined Los Angeles FC last year — was busy throughout but missed several chances, reportedly five in the first half alone, before being substituted in the 69th minute. Coach Hong Myung-bo was quick to defend him. "Son is our best player and is also a very stable captain," Hong said, while acknowledging the team needed to improve their finishing. Oh came on as Son's replacement and proved the decisive influence.
Hong, who famously captained South Korea to an improbable semi-final at the 2002 World Cup co-hosted with Japan, credited meticulous preparation for the victory — particularly three weeks of altitude training in the US state of Utah ahead of matches to be played roughly 1,500 metres above sea level. The Czech Republic, by contrast, based their camp in Texas and only travelled to Mexico shortly before kick-off. "I could clearly see that Czechia players were slowing down in the second half, and our players kept pushing and staying aggressive in the late minutes," Hong said. It was his first World Cup win as a head coach, having endured a group-stage exit as manager at the 2014 tournament in Brazil.
The result is significant for Group A's shape. South Korea join Mexico, who beat South Africa 2-0 earlier on Thursday in the tournament's opening match, on three points at the top of the group. The two sides will meet on June 18 at the same Guadalajara venue in what promises to be a high-pressure encounter, with Mexico enjoying enormous home support. For the Czech Republic, making their first World Cup appearance since 2006, there is still work to do against South Africa in Atlanta on the same date.