▲ Players of the South Korean national football team run before training at Chivas Valle Verde in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, on June 15 local time, ahead of their second group stage match against Mexico in the 2026 World Cup.
The South Korean national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will play their second Group A match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup against co-host Mexico at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, at 10 a.m. on June 19 (KST).
In their opening matches, Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0, while South Korea beat the Czech Republic 2-1, with both teams earning three points.
Currently, Mexico ranks first in the group and South Korea second due to goal difference.
The winner of this second-round clash could secure the top spot in the group and early qualification for the Round of 32.
Of course, there is a prerequisite.
It depends on the outcome of the match between the Czech Republic and South Africa, which will be played earlier at 1 a.m. on the same day at Atlanta Stadium in Georgia, U.S.
If the Czech Republic wins or draws this match—meaning South Africa fails to win—and South Korea defeats Mexico, South Korea will secure the top spot in the group regardless of the outcome of their third match against South Africa on June 25.
Furthermore, they could become the first team among the 48 participating nations in this tournament to advance to the Round of 32.
This favorable scenario is possible due to the tournament's tiebreaker rules for teams with equal points.
In this tournament, when two or more teams are tied on points, the head-to-head record (points, goal difference, and goals scored in matches between the tied teams)—the so-called "head-to-head" rule—is applied first.
After that, rankings are determined by overall goal difference, goals scored, fair play points, and FIFA ranking across all three group stage matches.
If South Korea beats Mexico following their win over the Czech Republic, they will finish with two wins and one loss even if they lose to South Africa.
Even if Mexico beats the Czech Republic in their third match to also reach two wins and one loss, they cannot take first place due to their head-to-head loss to South Korea.
Similarly, even if the Czech Republic defeats both South Africa and Mexico to reach two wins and one loss, they cannot finish first because they lost to South Korea.
Conversely, Mexico could secure the top spot in the group during the South Korea-Mexico match.
If the Czech Republic fails to beat South Africa and Mexico defeats South Korea, Mexico will claim first place in the group regardless of the final match's outcome.
This is because even if South Korea beats South Africa in their final match to tie Mexico at two wins and one loss, they cannot overcome their head-to-head defeat to Mexico.
However, if South Africa defeats the Czech Republic in the second round, South Korea's confirmation as group leader will be delayed even if they beat Mexico.
This is because if South Korea loses to South Africa and Mexico defeats the Czech Republic in the third round, South Korea, South Africa, and Mexico could all end up tied with two wins and one loss in a three-way tie.
In this scenario, the Czech Republic would be eliminated with three losses.
Furthermore, if South Korea loses to South Africa and the Czech Republic beats Mexico, South Korea and South Africa would have two wins and one loss, while Mexico and the Czech Republic would have one win and two losses, potentially putting South Africa in first place and South Korea in second.
Up to the 2022 Qatar tournament, South Korea has advanced past the group stage three times in its 11 World Cup appearances.
These were the 2002 Korea-Japan tournament, where they wrote a semi-final legend; the 2010 South Africa tournament, where they reached the Round of 16, their best-ever performance in an away tournament; and the Qatar tournament.
Among these, the only time they finished first in their group was the Korea-Japan tournament, where they recorded two wins and one draw.
In the other two tournaments, they advanced to the Round of 16 as group runners-up with one win, one draw, and one loss.
However, in all three instances, their progression from the group stage was only confirmed in the final third match.
In this tournament, where the number of participating countries has expanded significantly from 32 to 48, teams that pass the group stage will enter the Round of 32.
Even if they pass the group stage, the path ahead could be a "path of roses" or a "path of thorns" depending on their final ranking.
If South Korea finishes first in the group, they will play their Round of 32 match against one of the third-placed teams from Groups C, E, F, H, or I in Mexico City on July 1.
They would head into the Round of 32 after five days of rest, without having to travel long distances after their final group stage match.
If they progress further, the Round of 16 would also be held in Mexico City.
If they finish second in the group, they will face the runner-up of Group B (Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland) in Los Angeles (LA), U.S., on June 29.
If they advance as one of the third-placed teams, they will play either the winner of Group E (Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador) in Boston, U.S., on June 30, or the winner of Group G (Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand) in Seattle, U.S., on July 2, making it highly likely they will face a formidable opponent.
This is why head coach Hong Myung-bo, who is aiming for the country's best-ever performance in an away tournament, stated during a press conference for the final squad announcement last month, "Our primary goal is to advance to the Round of 32 from a 'good position'."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.