'Hwang In-beom, Oh Hyeon-gyu, Lee Kang-in, and 4 other Koreans' — 5 South Koreans named in World Cup Group A Best 11; Czech Republic also has 2 representatives

*This content was translated by AI.

The Best 11 composed of players who performed in Group A of the 2026 FIFA North America World Cup group stage has been unveiled. Nearly half of the squad, five players, are from South Korea.

Football content platform MadFootball selected and announced the integrated Best 11 for Group A's Matchday 1 immediately after the matches between Mexico and South Africa, and South Korea and Czech Republic, on the 12th (Korean time).

In the match against Czech Republic held at Chivas Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico, on that day, where South Korea secured a 2-1 comeback victory, no fewer than five players from South Korea were named.

Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), who delivered a stellar performance with one goal and one assist including the equalizer, was named the 'best player' among the Best 11. Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besiktas), who scored the winning comeback goal, also secured a spot as a forward.

Additionally, Lee Tae-seok (Austria Vienna) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) were selected on the flanks, and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) was named as a defender.

Two players from Czech Republic, which lost to South Korea that day, were also named. Goalkeeper Matej Kovar (PSV Eindhoven), who made four crucial saves in the match against South Korea, and center-back Ladislav Krejci (Wolverhampton), who scored the opening goal, were selected.

In addition to South Korea (5 players) and Czech Republic (2 players), four players from Mexico, which won 2-0 in the tournament's official opening match against South Africa, were also selected.

Forwards Julian Quiñones (Al-Qadsiah) and Roberto Alvarado (Chivas) joined Oh Hyeon-gyu as wide attackers, while midfielder Erick Lira (Cruz Azul) and defender Israel Reyes (Club América) were also named.

The interim Group A standings show Mexico (goal difference +2) and South Korea (goal difference +1, both with 3 points) in first and second place, followed by Czech Republic (goal difference -1) and South Africa (goal difference -2, both with 0 points).

In this World Cup, the top two teams from each group will advance to the Round of 32, and the eight best-performing third-placed teams among the 12th groups will also earn spots in the Round of 32.

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*This content was translated by AI.