▲ South Korean national football team players listen to instructions from head coach Hong Myung-bo before training at Chivas Valle Verde in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, on the 10th (local time)
Hong Myung-bo's squad has completed its final training session ahead of its fateful match against the Czech Republic.
The South Korean national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, trained at Chivas Verde Valle in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, on the 11th (KST), one day ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup match against the Czech Republic.
At the start of the training session, which was open to the media for only 18 minutes, the Taegeuk Warriors and the coaching staff stood in a circle near the center circle.
Hong delivered a speech, and the players, standing at ease, along with other coaches, listened with solemn expressions.
After the four-minute speech, the players ran laps around the pitch.
▲ South Korean national football team head coach Hong Myung-bo directs a training session at Chivas Valle Verde in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, on the 10th (local time)
They then warmed up under the guidance of the fitness coach.
The shouting of commands was more spirited than usual.
Kim Tae-hyeon (Kashima Antlers), who injured his ankle during training the previous day and is highly unlikely to play during the group stage, trained alone indoors.
Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), who injured his ankle from a deep tackle during a friendly match against Trinidad and Tobago at the pre-tournament camp, rode a stationary bicycle set up next to the pitch.
Bae is expected to be able to play starting from the second group stage match.
The remaining 24 Taegeuk Warriors continued training in a lively atmosphere with training partners and the coaching staff.
South Korea will clash with the Czech Republic at 11 a.m. tomorrow (KST) at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan.
A victory here would put them halfway toward reaching the Round of 32.
A loss would increase the burden for the second match against host nation Mexico.
They could find themselves in an increasingly disadvantageous position, relying on complex tiebreaker scenarios.
Looking back at South Korea's World Cup history, the team has never advanced to the knockout stage after losing its opening group match.
Therefore, the match against the Czech Republic is considered a watershed moment that will determine the success or failure of Hong Myung-bo's squad in this tournament.
In a press conference held earlier at Guadalajara Stadium, Coach Hong showed confidence, saying, "I believe our team has left no stone unturned in preparing for this tournament," and adding, "From our internal perspective, we view [the chances of winning the first match] very positively."
Meanwhile, the Czech national team conducted its final training session at a sports arena in Zapopan, in the Guadalajara metropolitan area.
This was also the first official training session the Czech team held in Mexico.
The Czech team, which had been training in Texas, USA, arrived in Guadalajara, the venue of the battle, only on this day, the day before the match.
This is in stark contrast to the South Korean team, which set up a pre-tournament camp early on in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, to prepare for the high-altitude environment of Guadalajara Stadium, which sits at 1,561 meters above sea level.
The venue where the training took place is the primary training ground used by the women's team of CD Guadalajara, a prestigious Mexican professional football club.
The Czech players, who arrived in Mexico on the same day, trained in a bright and friendly atmosphere, showing excellent condition as if unaffected by travel fatigue.
In the training session, which was open to the media for only the first 15 minutes, the players warmed up on stationary bikes set up on one side of the field and stretched before taking to the pitch.
During the open session, the players focused on light jogging and ball touches to fine-tune their match readiness.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.