South Korea's national football team conceded the first goal but salvaged one point against the Czech Republic in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup, thanks to an equalizer from Hwang In-beom. Head coach Hong Myung-bo's bold substitution provided the foundation for restoring the balance.
The South Korean team, led by Hong, drew 1-1 with the Czech Republic in their first Group A match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Estadio Akron in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico, on Friday Korea time. After Ladislav Krejci (Girona) opened the scoring in the second half, Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) struck the equalizer in the 67th minute.
South Korea lined up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Son Heung-min at the top and Lee Kang-in and Lee Jae-sung in the second line. Stepping up their attack in the second half, South Korea probed the space behind the Czech defense with Son Heung-min (LAFC) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) as the fulcrum. After conceding, Hong immediately played his hand, bringing on Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) in place of Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), and this change led to Hwang In-beom's equalizer.
The Czech Republic reached the finals for the first time in 20 years since the 2006 Germany tournament, defeating both Ireland and Denmark on penalties in the European qualifying playoffs. Football statistics firm Opta had earlier projected South Korea's chances of winning at 42.9 percent, the Czech Republic at 31.1 percent, and a draw at 26.0 percent through a supercomputer simulation. The two nations' previous meeting was a friendly in June 2016, when South Korea won 2-1.
Having shared one point each, South Korea now faces a turning point that will determine its path to the round of 32 in its second match against host nation Mexico.
