Korea Wins First World Cup Opening Match in 16 Years

South Korea kicked off their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a thrilling, emotional 2-1 comeback victory over Czechia at the Guadalajara Stadium today. The hard-fought win marks South Korea’s first World Cup opening match victory in 16 years, dating back to their 2010 campaign in South Africa. Midfielder Hwang In-beom, who had a direct hand in both goals, helped greatly in turning the tide after Czechia got an upper hand.

The first 45 minutes saw a physical, high-intensity stalemate. South Korea controlled the tempo and dominated possession, utilizing the creative class of Lee Kang-in and pushing numbers forward. However, Czechia’s direct defensive posture kept chances down to a minimum. South Korea’s captain, Son Heung-min, found himself frustrated early on, denied twice by sharp saves from Czech keeper, Matěj Kovář.

Photo: @thekfa / Instagram

The match dramatically burst to life after the interval that initially moved in Czechia’s favor.

• 59th Minute (0-1): Against the run of play, Czechia struck first. Exploiting their physical advantage from a long throw-in, Ladislav Krejčí rose above the defense to power a firm header into the net, stunning the Korean side.

Conceding the opener lit a fire under the South Korean squad, who quickly regrouped under pressure. Within eight minutes, South Korea’s midfield engine produced a moment of absolute magic.

• 67th Minute (1-1): Receiving a sharp, vertical pass in the left channel, Hwang In-beom drove into the penalty area. Showing ice-cold composure, he feinted smoothly past two tracking Czech defenders, dropping them to the turf, before clipping a delicate right-footed finish past Kovář into the far corner. It was as smooth as smooth can be.

With momentum entirely on their side, South Korea made a tactical shift and subbed in young forward Oh Hyeon-gyu in the 68th minute to refresh the attack. The decisive blow came just 10 minutes later, orchestrated once more by the brilliant In-beom.

• 70th Minute (VAR Scare): Czechia briefly thought they had reclaimed the lead when Tomáš Souček hit the back of the net, but a sharp look from the assistant referee and a VAR check confirmed he was just inches offside. The goal didn’t count.

• 80th Minute (2-1): Capitalizing on the reprieve, Hwang In-beom received the ball out wide and whipped a perfectly weighted, curling cross directly into the danger zone. Oh Hyeon-gyu timed his run perfectly, hammering the ball past the keeper to send the stadium into absolute bedlam.

Czechia threw everything forward in a frantic final 10 minutes, forcing Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu into a spectacular, diving stoppage-time save against Adam Hložek to preserve the three points. Seung-gyu really brought his A-game today!

This crucial opening win places South Korea in a fantastic position early in Group A. Breaking their 16-year opening-day “curse” gives them maximum momentum before they return to Guadalajara to face co-hosts Mexico on June 19. Czechia, on the other hand, will travel to the United States to face South Africa on June 18, needing a win to keep their knockout stage hopes alive.