Korea Republic vs Czechia Preview: Team News & Prediction | FIFA World Cup 2026 | Group Stage
In what appears to be a very evenly matched Group A alongside Mexico and South Africa, Korea Republic and Czechia could well take the initiative in the second game of the tournament here.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV: UK – ITV / USA – FOX Sports
How to watch online: UK – ITVX / USA – FOX One
Korea Republic preview: A woeful March
During the March international break, Korea Republic succumbed to a 4-0 hammering at the hands of Cote d’Ivoire before then being beaten 1-0 by Austria. It is somewhat surprising, therefore, that Hong Myung-bo remains in charge of the Koreans, despite the slightest of improvements in the post-Jurgen Klinsmann era.
The Koreans have some attacking quality, most notably with former Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min and Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in, but they struggled to flex those muscles in the final third in AFC qualification – with their record flattered by back-to-back wins at the end of their third round campaign against Iraq and Kuwait.
Czechia preview: Rare appearance at a WC
Czechia are a part of the furniture when it comes to the UEFA European Championship but for just the second time ever, and the first in 20 years, the Czechs are back at a FIFA World Cup. 74-year-old manager Miroslav Koubek has an experienced squad at his disposal and they will be content with the aforementioned evenly matched nature of Group A.
The Czechs, who suffered a shock defeat to the Faroe Islands in the group stages of UEFA qualification, managed to edge their way into the tournament by coming from 2-0 down to beat the Republic of Ireland on penalties, before then earning another shootout win against Denmark in the European play-offs in Prague.
Korea Republic team news
Team news will appear here closer to the match…
Predicted XI (X-X-X-X): TBC
Unavailable: TBC
Questionable: TBC
Czechia team news
Team news will appear here closer to the match…
Predicted XI (X-X-X-X): TBC
Unavailable: TBC
Questionable: TBC
Korea Republic’s top FIFA World Cup Fantasy assets
Kim Min-Jae ($5.0m) – Defender
Lee Kang-in ($6.1m) – Midfielder
Son Heung-Min ($7.4m) – Forward
Matchday 1 captain pick:Son Heung-Min
Czechia’s top FIFA World Cup Fantasy assets
Vladimir Coufal ($3.6m) – Defender
Tomas Soucek ($5.6m) – Midfielder
Patrik Schick ($7.3m) – Forward
Matchday 1 captain pick:Patrik Schick
Key stats
- This is the first ever FIFA World Cup meeting between Korea Republic and Czechia, and that includes all matches from the era of Czechoslovakia.
- Korea Republic have appeared at the FIFA World Cup more times than any other Asian nation. The 2026 edition marks their 12th overall participation and 11th consecutive appearance, having last missed out in 1982.
- Korea Republic’s fourth-place finish in 2002 is the best showing by an Asian team in FIFA World Cup history. During that campaign, they famously overcame Italy in the round of 16 and Spain in the quarter-finals before succumbing to Germany in the last four.
- The AFC powerhouses have prevailed in their last two FIFA World Cup matches against European opposition, with these successes coming in their group-stage curtain-closers in the 2018 and 2022 editions: a 2-0 win over Germany and a 2-1 triumph over Portugal respectively. Notably, six of their seven all‑time victories at the global bonanza have come against European teams.
- Czechia return to the FIFA World Cup™ stage for the first time in 20 years, with their last appearance dating back to the 2006 tournament in Germany when they exited in the group stage.
- Competing as the former state of Czechoslovakia, Czechia’s best FIFA World Cup performances were runners‑up finishes in 1934 and 1962, losing the finals to Italy and Brazil respectively.
- The only time that Czechoslovakia or Czechia have met an AFC side in FIFA World Cup action was in the 1-1 draw with Kuwait in the first group stage at the 1982 instalment.
Click here for EVEN MORE stats & facts about this fixture!
Korea Republic vs Czechia prediction
There is an over-reliance on the ageing Son, who has struggled to cope with one of his key assets, his pace, becoming majorly diminished. The Koreans take on a Czech side that do have some talented attackers themselves, such as Patrik Schick and Pavel Sulc. However, the Europeans are again likely to try and simply play a controlled style of football and so a low-scoring clash for this Group A opener seems a decent bet at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara.
Korea Republic vs Czechia betting tip: Under 2.5 goals
