[Official] 'First World Cup Opponent of South Korea' Czech Republic to Face FIFA-Ranked No. 96 Guatemala in 'Final Rehearsal'

*This content was translated by AI.

Czech Republic, the first opponent of the South Korean national football team in the Group Stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, has selected FIFA-ranked No. 96 underdog Guatemala as their 'final rehearsal' opponent.

The Guatemala Football Association officially announced on the 23rd (Korean time) that it will hold a friendly match against Czech Republic on June 5 at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, USA.

June 5 is exactly one week before the Group A opener between South Korea and Czech Republic, which will be held in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Considering the tournament schedule, the Czech Republic national team is expected to complete all its pre-World Cup friendly matches with the game against Guatemala, then travel to the host city of Mexico to undergo final preparations for the match against South Korea.

While other friendly opponents that Czech Republic will face before the Guatemala match have not yet been disclosed, choosing Guatemala as the immediate opponent before the South Korea game is considered somewhat unexpected. This is because Guatemala, ranked 96th in the FIFA rankings, is an 'underdog team' that has never stepped onto the World Cup finals stage. Czech Republic is ranked 41st in the FIFA rankings.

Even if there is some merit in preparing for the host nation Mexico, which shares the same continent, the gap in strength between Mexico, ranked 15th in the FIFA rankings and known for its clear home advantage, and Guatemala is too vast.

Of course, many teams play friendlies against relatively weaker opponents just before the World Cup, but in such cases, it is mostly done by top-tier teams aiming to boost the form of their strikers and adapt to opponents' dense defensive setups.

Moreover, Czech Republic has faced mostly European teams throughout its World Cup preparation process, including the European qualifiers and the European play-offs last month, meaning it has had virtually no opportunity to play against Asian teams with playing styles similar to South Korea's.

In this context, selecting Guatemala as the final friendly opponent just one week before the World Cup showdown with South Korea leaves many questions about the background.

Czech Republic advanced through the second place in European Qualifiers Group L, reached the World Cup European Play-offs, and then defeated Ireland and Denmark in succession to secure a spot in the World Cup finals. This marks Czech Republic's first qualification for the World Cup finals since the 2006 Germany World Cup, a span of 20 years.

Meanwhile, South Korea, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will announce its final World Cup squad on the 16th of next month, and two days later, the main squad will depart for the United States. Players from overseas leagues will join sequentially after completing their club commitments.

Two friendly matches are scheduled to be held in Salt Lake City, USA, though the opponents and schedule remain undecided. Afterward, the team will move to Guadalajara, Mexico, where the base camp is located, and proceed to play Group Stage matches against Czech Republic, Mexico, and South Africa in that order.

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*This content was translated by AI.