GUADALAJARA, Mexico — In a second Group A fixture of the 2026 FIFA World Cup held on Thursday night at Guadalajara Stadium, South Korea pulled off a gritty 2-1 comeback victory over the Czech Republic, anchored by a standout performance from Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom, who notched one goal and set up the match-winning strike.
Both sides struggled to find rhythm through a sleepy first 45 minutes, drawing boos from the crowd as they headed to the locker room for halftime. The deadlock finally broke in the 59th minute, when Czech captain Ladislav Krejci nodded a header into the net off a long throw-in launched into the penalty area, putting the Central European side ahead.
South Korea responded eight minutes later, with Hwang producing a clever piece of skill to fake out two Czech defenders, create space, and slot home the equalizer. The Feyenoord playmaker continued his impact in the 80th minute, whipping a pinpoint cross from the right flank that forward Oh Hyeon-gyu converted to put the Asian side ahead for good.
The match had hundreds of empty seats scattered across the 45,664-capacity venue, with an official attendance announced at 44,985 that included FIFA President Gianni Infantino in attendance. After the final whistle, the South Korean squad traveled to the stands behind one of the goals to celebrate with their traveling supporters, posing for a commemorative photo with the fan group.
Star forward Son Heung-min, making his fourth consecutive World Cup appearance, entered the match just one goal away from becoming South Korea’s all-time leading World Cup goalscorer and the highest-scoring Asian player in tournament history. The 33-year-old Los Angeles FC winger, formerly of Tottenham Hotspur, entered Thursday’s contest with three career World Cup goals across three prior editions, but could not add to his tally: he sent a first-half attempt wide of the post and saw a close-range second-half shot stopped by the Czech goalkeeper.
The Czechs thought they had reclaimed the lead in the 77th minute off another set piece, but Tomas Soucek’s header was ruled out for offside. The 38th-ranked Czech Republic, making their first World Cup appearance since 2006, outmatched in possession by 25th-ranked South Korea, which carved out the majority of clear scoring chances throughout the match but failed to convert in the opening half.
Following the match, South Korean head coach Hong Myung-bo emphasized the character his side showed to fight back from a one-goal deficit. “It was our first game and a very difficult one,” Hong said. “The win itself makes me happy, but what’s even more positive is that our boys won by not giving up. I knew that we were more than capable of winning, so at 1-1, I told the boys to keep playing the way we’ve been playing.”
This result marks a historic milestone for South Korea: it is their first opening World Cup match win since a 2010 victory over Greece in South Africa, and their third consecutive win against a European opponent at the tournament, following upsets over Germany in 2018 and Portugal in 2022. The side is making its 11th consecutive World Cup appearance — 12th overall — more than any other Asian nation. Their best tournament finish remains a fourth-place finish when they co-hosted the 2002 World Cup alongside Japan; they have not advanced past the Round of 16 in every edition since that run.
Czech manager Miroslav Koubek acknowledged the result after the match, admitting that the stronger side won on the night, while noting that small errors derailed his team’s bid for a positive result. “We played very well, it could have been a draw and we could have won as well,” Koubek said.
In the other Group A match held on Thursday, co-host Mexico kicked off its World Cup campaign with a 2-0 win over South Africa in Mexico City.