▲ Mexican soldiers guarding the Guadalajara Stadium
With military trucks and even machine guns on site, the South Korean national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, conducted a closed-door training session under the tight security of Mexican police and military forces.
On June 9 (local time), the team held a completely private training session at Chivas Valle Verde in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, ahead of their opening match against the Czech Republic in the 2026 North and Central America World Cup.
At 11:00 a.m. on this day, when the team began their training, police officers were already stationed at the entrance of Chivas Valle Verde to maintain security.
While the officers smiled at reporters, they immediately signaled "no" with firm expressions and raised palms whenever anyone tried to approach the walls of the training facility.
Thirteen officers were lined up at the main gate, keeping a close watch on the surroundings.
Although the players' shouts could be heard echoing in the air, there was no way to catch a glimpse of their training.
With police officers stationed everywhere and barbed wire installed atop the fences, the scene looked more like a prison than a training ground.
The back gate, which appeared more accessible than the main entrance as it faces a four-lane road, was guarded by the military rather than the police.
Soldiers armed with rifles and machine guns scanned the reporters passing by from head to toe.
The troops consisted of the Mexican Army in olive-drab uniforms and the National Guard in gray camouflage.
These two military organizations are working together to protect the South Korean players.
After discussing something with a training ground official from FIFA, the soldiers boarded about a dozen small military trucks and drove off.
The FIFA official hinted, "They are conducting a rehearsal for the players' escort operation."
Hong Myung-bo’s squad has a busy schedule on June 10, the day before the match against the Czech Republic.
At 2:30 p.m., they will hold a press conference at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, the site of the match, and 30 minutes later, they will have a session to inspect the stadium pitch.
Following that, at 4:30 p.m., they will move to Chivas Valle Verde for their final training session.
Given the tight schedule, the Mexican police and military personnel responsible for escorting the team also appeared tense.
Since the training session on the day before the match is open to the media, this day was the last opportunity for the team to conduct high-intensity training in private.
This is why Hong Myung-bo’s team held their first closed-door training session since arriving in Guadalajara.
Guadalajara Stadium was bustling with preparations for the first match, which is now two days away.
Here, too, armed soldiers were standing guard everywhere.
Inside the stadium, an announcer was in the middle of a rehearsal.
The names of the players, from No. 1 Kim Seung-gyu (FC Tokyo) to No. 11 Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), were called out one by one.
This was followed by the South Korean national anthem and the song "Oh! Pilseung Korea."
The Group A opening match of the North and Central America World Cup between South Korea and the Czech Republic will kick off at 11:00 a.m. on June 12, Korea Standard Time.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.