"Similar to the decisive battleground of Mexico": Hong Myung-bo's team begins pre-camp in Salt Lake City, U.S., focusing on "high-altitude adaptation"

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korean national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, will embark on a two-week high-altitude acclimatization in Salt Lake City, United States, prior to their arrival in Mexico.

The Korea Football Association announced on the 16th that the South Korean national team will establish a pre-camp in Salt Lake City, Utah, to prepare for the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.

Under coach Hong Myung-bo, the national team will conduct approximately two weeks of training in Salt Lake City before arriving in Guadalajara, Mexico, for the opening match of the group stage. The local training grounds and weight training facilities will utilize the infrastructure of Real Salt Lake, a Major League Soccer (MLS) club, and the University of Utah.

Salt Lake City was selected as the pre-camp site due to its local climate and high-altitude environment. Located at an elevation of approximately 1,460 meters, Salt Lake City shares similar conditions in altitude, temperature, and humidity with Guadalajara, Mexico, which is hosting the first and second rounds of the group stage at an elevation of about 1,500 meters.

Additionally, when U.S. summer time is applied, the time difference with Korea remains 15 hours, making it an ideal location for adjusting physical condition and adapting to the environment.

The World Cup schedule has also been finalized. Coach Hong Myung-bo will announce the final roster on the 16th of next month and depart with the starting lineup two days later on the 18th. Players selected for the final roster are expected to individually join the Salt Lake City camp in accordance with their respective club schedules.

Coach Hong Myung-bo plans to sharpen his team's match readiness through two evaluation matches during the camp period. The opponents and schedule will be confirmed later. The team will enter Mexico, the final destination, on the 5th to begin its final preparations ahead of the scheduled camp.

Meanwhile, South Korea, ranked 25th in the FIFA rankings, will play its first group stage match against the Czech Republic (41st) on the 12th at 11 a.m. at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico. It will then face host nation Mexico (15th) in its second match on the 19th at 10 a.m. at the same venue, before moving to BBVA Stadium in Monterrey for its final group stage match against South Africa (60th) on the 25th at 10 a.m.

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*This content was translated by AI.