Match Preview: South Korea vs. Czechia — Son's fourth World Cup begins in Guadalajara

World Cup Day 1 isn't done after Mexico at the Azteca. At 10pm ET Thursday night, the tournament's second match kicks off in Guadalajara — and it's a proper puzzle: South Korea vs. Czechia, Group A, Estadio Chivas. 1

Two teams who almost certainly needed to get out of this group to count the tournament as a success. Two teams arriving with unresolved questions. And one more reason to stay up late on opening day.

When: Thursday, June 11 | 8pm local (Guadalajara) | 10pm ET / 7pm PT Where: Estadio Chivas, Zapopan, Mexico TV/Stream: FS1, Telemundo (US); SBS (Australia); ITV1 (UK)

Everything about South Korea's World Cup runs through Son Heung-min. The 33-year-old captain, four World Cups in, is now playing club football at LAFC in Los Angeles after leaving Tottenham — and that proximity to the host country adds a peculiar kind of weight to this tournament. 2

He scored twice in a pre-tournament friendly. He's as sharp as he's been in years. But Son alone isn't enough, and the Koreans know it.

The key supporting questions are: how well can Lee Kang-in (PSG) operate in the pockets behind Sonny? Can a midfield ravaged by injuries — Hong Myung-bo has lost several options to physical setbacks — hold shape against Czechia's physicality? And what about Jens Castrop, the German-born Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder who chose to represent South Korea and is now Hong's most intriguing wildcard? 3

Hong has belatedly moved to a 3-4-3. The formation only appeared in the second half of South Korea's final qualifier, after the result was already decided, which means his back three have spent about 45 minutes together as a unit. Kim Min-jae is the anchor — when he's right, he's one of the best defenders at this tournament — but there are real questions about who flanks him and how the wing-backs hold up. Castrop's ability to play centrally or out wide gives Hong at least one flexible answer.

South Korea went unbeaten in 16 qualifying matches. They haven't lost since the Asian qualifying phase began. That's the form. The formation is the gamble.

Czechia are making their first World Cup since 2006. They got here through two penalty shootout wins — against Republic of Ireland and Denmark — in the UEFA playoffs, which tells you something about how they operate: organized, resilient, not flashy. 4

Their coach, Miroslav Koubek, is 75 years old. He took over after Ivan Hasek was sacked following an embarrassing defeat to the Faroe Islands. Koubek worked his way up from the lower Czech leagues while moonlighting as an insurance broker. He's built a side in his image: compact, direct, hard to break down.

The plan is uncomfortably simple. Czechia spam crosses from wide positions. Their 6'6" striker Tomáš Chorý and 6'2" Patrik Schick win aerial duels. Tomáš Souček — the West Ham holding midfielder who was stripped of the captaincy after a public falling-out with the FA over his reaction to a big win — crashes into the box from deep. Set pieces are a major weapon. 4

Against Korea's new back three — still finding its feet — that's not just a plan. It's a targeted problem.

Schick has been in form: 16 Bundesliga goals for Bayer Leverkusen in 2025-26, recovered from the injury troubles that plagued him in previous years. One moment of quality from him — an aerial flick, a turn in the box — could settle this. He did it to Scotland at Euro 2020 from the halfway line. He's the reason you watch Czechia.

The one to watch on the creative side is Pavel Sulc (Lyon), who brings unpredictability between the lines. If Korea's midfield is stretched, Sulc is the player who will find space they haven't defended. 4

This is the one to watch. Patrik Schick — 6'2", technically sharp, the aerial threat who defined Czechia's Euro 2020 — versus Kim Min-jae, one of the best center-backs in world football when he's match fit.

If Kim can neutralize Schick's runs and aerial presence, Czechia's attack loses its focal point. Koubek's side become reliant on Pavel Sulc threading passes and Souček arriving late — both workable options, neither as dangerous. If Schick wins this battle, with Chorý providing width and second balls, Korea's raw back three could face a very uncomfortable night. 1

At the other end, Son drifting inside off the left and Lee Kang-in pulling strings in the half-space presents a different kind of problem for Czechia. Their center-backs are solid but not electric on the turn. A quick combination in tight spaces, the kind Son and Lee Kang-in can produce, could be the way through.

Group A is genuinely wide open. Mexico are co-hosts with enormous crowd support but their quinto partido curse — seven straight Round of 16 exits — is well documented. South Africa showed against Germany in preparation that they can be organized and disruptive. Neither Korea nor Czechia is a pushover.

In a four-team group where everyone fancies their chances, opening day results carry outsized weight. Win here and you control your fate. Lose and the pressure in the second match — Korea face Mexico in Guadalajara, Czechia play South Africa in Atlanta — is considerably higher. 5

Korea are the slight favorites on paper — FIFA rank 25th vs. Czechia's 41st. Neutral observers at Estadio Chivas tonight will find a match that probably stays tight for 60 minutes, then breaks open when one team blinks.