[Official] 48 teams and groups to advance to the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup finals have been finalized, and South Korea is in Group A with the Czech Republic and others.

*This content was translated by AI.

The 48 teams and groups that will play in the 2026 FIFA 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup finals have been finalized. This is because the owners of the six remaining finals after the European-Continental Playoffs (PO) will be determined. The draw for the World Cup finals had already ended in December last year, and the winning team for each PO pass was automatically organized into each group according to the results of the draw.

Iraq qualified for the final 48th World Cup. Iraq beat Bolivia 2-1 in the 2026 FIFA 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Intercontinental PO Pass 2 final at Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, Mexico on the 1st (Korea Standard Time) to advance to the World Cup finals for the first time in 40 years since the 1986 Mexico Games. Iraq, which took the last train to the North-China-U.S. World Cup, will be in Group I with France, Senegal, and Norway.

In another intercontinental PO pass 1 final held earlier, the Democratic Republic of the Congo defeated Jamaica 1-0 after an extended battle, achieving an emotional dream of advancing to the World Cup 52 years after the 1974 West German World Cup under Zaire. The Democratic Republic of the Congo will compete in Group K along with Portugal, Uzbekistan, and Colombia.

A total of four European POs for qualifying for the World Cup finals also ended on the same day. In particular, in the European PO Pass D final, which drew the attention of domestic fans, the Czech Republic won 3-1 after a penalty shootout after drawing 2-2 with Denmark, and succeeded in advancing to the World Cup for the first time in 20 years since the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

The Czech Republic will head to Group A, which includes Mexico and South Africa, as well as the South Korean national soccer team. South Korea, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will face off in the first round of the World Cup group stage. In previous matches, Korea is inferior to Korea with one win, two draws and two losses, but the FIFA ranking is wide, with Korea ranking 22nd and the Czech Republic 43rd as of January.

Bosnia-Herzegovina also beat Italy after a penalty shootout to dramatically advance to the World Cup finals and head to Group B along with Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland. Italy, which has won four World Cup titles, failed to advance to the World Cup finals for three consecutive times following the 2018 Russia Games and 2022 Qatar Games.

In addition, Sweden beat Poland 3-2 to advance to the World Cup finals, competing in Group F with Japan, the Netherlands, and Tunisia. Turkiye also beat Kosovo 1-0 and returned to the World Cup finals for the first time in 24 years since the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. Turkiye heads to Group D with the United States, Paraguay, and Australia.

The 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup, which will be held under 48 countries, the largest ever, will be divided into 12 groups of four teams. The top eight teams with good performance among the first and second places in each group and the third place in the 12 groups will advance to the round of 32 tournaments to determine the winning team. The tournament will kick off through the opening match of Group A between Mexico and South Africa on June 12 in Mexico. South Korea will face off against the Czech Republic at 11 a.m. on the 12th, Mexico at 10 a.m. on the 19th, and South Africa at 10 a.m. on the 25th.

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*This content was translated by AI.