South Korea vs Czechia Prediction and Betting Preview | World Cup June 11

South Korea vs Czechia Preview

Did you know…In the early 2000s, GoldSheet had a sister publication named European Soccer Weekly?! Long before every European soccer (cough football) match was broadcast in the US on ESPN, Peacock and Paramount, Bruce Marshall and Co. were breaking down the action on the pitch. We offer some thoughts on Thursday’s South Korea vs Czechia clash on Match Day 1 of the 2026 World Cup.

South Korea vs Czechia Odds

Game Time	Thursday June 11 at 10pm ET / 7pm PT
Location	Estadio Akron in Guadalajara
TV	FS1
Czechia	+185
South Korea	+160
Draw	+200
Total	2.5 (o +126 / u -162)

Odds above courtesy of FanDuel as of June 3.

South Korea’s Current Form

When the World Cup schedule was announced, Korean manager Hong Myung-bo was quick to share his displeasure with his squad’s path. After going unbeaten in qualifying (11 wins, 5 draws), Korea was not only placed in the same group as a host nation, they have to play all three matches in the heat and elevation of Mexico. The Koreans’ first two matches are in Guadalajara, followed by the finale in Monterrey.

Hong Myung-bo admitted that it was going to be very tough to get his team acclimated to the difficult conditions and his team was likely going to struggle with depth and attrition as the tournament progressed. That puts much more emphasis on Thursday’s opening match against Czechia.

The Koreans’ trip to North America has gotten off on the right foot following a 5-0 friendly win over Trinidad and Tobago at BYU’s campus in Provo, Utah. Star striker Son Heung-min scored the first two goals in that match and he will be asked to carry most of the scoring load for the Koreans in this tournament.

Czechia’s Current Form

Czechia has taken a completely different approach to preparing for this event, and we’re struggling to see the benefits. The Czechs elected to stay in Prague for their first friendly, struggling to get past Kosovo on Sunday. Their final friendly will be played in New Jersey against Guatemala.

How is a game in New Jersey going to prepare a team for playing at Estadio Akron, which sits a mile above sea level? Not only that, the team has established its in-tournament training camp in Dallas, which also won’t do much to help prepare the Czechs for the conditions they will face in Mexico.

Frankly, it’s somewhat-shocking that Czechia qualified for this event. They lost 5-1 against Croatia and they lost to the Faroe Islands in qualifying, who currently sits at No. 123 in FIFA’s global rankings.

The Czechs were losing 2-0 against Republic of Ireland before stealing that game in penalty kicks. They were out-shot 21-7 against Denmark before pulling out another penalty shootout to qualify. In Euro 2024, Czechia failed to get out of the group stage with two losses and a draw.

South Korea vs Czechia Prediction

Group A appears to be a traditional paint-by-numbers World Cup group with one clear favorite (Mexico), one clear underdog (South Africa) and two teams that are likely going to battle for second. This isn’t a “must win” game for either side, but it can definitely be classified as a “must not lose.” If you asked the Czechs and Koreans if they would sign up for a draw before the match, we have a feeling both teams would say yes to that.

Both squads will likely be sitting on the conservative side to open this match and we’re interested in the 0-0 halftime score, which is available at +160 at FanDuel.

We have some major questions about how the Czechs will handle the time change and elevation after a late arrival to Mexico. If tired legs begin to take effect after halftime, there will likely be more scoring chances in the second half. But in the opening match between two unfamiliar foes, we’re expecting both squads to err on the side of conservative.

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