South Korea Comeback Beats Czechia 2-1 on World Cup Opening Day

Second-Half Rally

South Korea rallied to defeat Czechia 2-1 in the second match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Thursday night in Zapopan, Mexico. After a lackluster first half, Czechia took the lead in the 59th minute through a header from captain Ladislav Krejci following a long throw-in.

South Korea equalized in the 67th minute when Hwang In-beom scored after faking a shot to beat two Czech defenders. He then provided the cross for Oh Hyeon-gyu’s decisive goal in the 80th minute. The match at Guadalajara Stadium saw hundreds of empty seats.

Match Statistics

Led by star forward Son Heung-min, South Korea controlled possession and outshot the Czechs, who were making their first World Cup appearance since 2006. The 25th-ranked South Koreans created numerous chances against the 38th-ranked Czechs but failed to capitalize early.

The announced attendance was 44,985 in the 45,664-capacity stadium, with many empty seats in the middle sections and scattered elsewhere.

Group Standings

Earlier on Thursday, Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 in the tournament opener. Mexico top Group A with three points, South Korea second on goal difference, Czechia third, and South Africa last. On June 18, Mexico face South Korea in Zapopan, and Czechia play South Africa in Atlanta.

The top two teams from each of the 12 groups, along with the eight best third-placed teams, advance to the round of 32.