▲ Son Heung-min of the national football team arrives at the team's hotel in Monterrey, Mexico, on the 21st (local time) ahead of the third match of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup group stage.
The national football team has arrived in Monterrey, Mexico, the site of their final group stage match for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup.
The team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, arrived at a hotel in Monterrey today (June 22) to settle in.
The team traveled here to face South Africa in their final Group A match of the World Cup, which will be held at Monterrey Stadium on June 25 at 10:00 a.m.
Fans began gathering around the hotel about two hours before the team's arrival, and with local Korean residents joining in, the crowd grew to about 100 people.
Some Japanese fans, who were in the area for a match against Tunisia the previous day, also visited the site to wait for the South Korean team.
As the South Korean flag and a welcome message in Korean appeared on the electronic display at the hotel entrance, Team Hong Myung-bo arrived, escorted by local police motorcycles and vehicles.
Amid tight security provided by local police and hotel staff, fans cheered as the players began to step off the bus, with shouts of support such as "Oh Hyeon-gyu, fighting!" and "Kim Seung-gyu, you're the best!" heard from various spots.
A lively Mexican traditional music band also welcomed the Korean players.
The appearance of "Captain" Son Heung-min (LAFC) drew particularly loud cheers from the fans.
The players, who mostly entered with determined expressions, offered slight smiles or waved to the crowd as they headed inside.
After the players entered, the vehicle carrying head coach Hong Myung-bo and the staff arrived, and other officials, including support team leader Park Hang-seo, also completed their arrival amid cheers from the fans.
Team Hong Myung-bo is currently in second place with 3 points, following a 2-1 victory against the Czech Republic in the first match on the 12th and a 0-1 loss to Mexico in the second match on the 19th.
If they avoid defeat and secure at least one point in this third match against South Africa, they will confirm their spot in the Round of 32 as the second-place team in the group.
Their opponent, South Africa, has recorded 1 point and is currently at the bottom of the group in 4th place, and they are determined to win against South Korea.
This is the first time the national team has moved to a different host city since the start of the World Cup.
After playing both their first and second group stage matches at Guadalajara Stadium in Mexico and keeping their base camp there, they moved to Monterrey, which requires a flight of about one hour.
The weather in Monterrey is quite different from Guadalajara, which the team used as their "home" during the tournament.
With high temperatures soaring to around 35°C (95°F) and high humidity, the team will have to train and play in sweltering heat.
Meanwhile, the South African national team continued their training at their base camp in Pachuca, Mexico, today, opening only the first 15 minutes to the public, and are expected to move to Monterrey tomorrow.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.