South Korea's national team receives hero's welcome in Mexico ahead of World Cup group stage

South Korea's national football team is receiving a warm welcome in Guadalajara, Mexico, where it will play its group-stage matches at the 2026 North America World Cup.

The reception from locals goes well beyond the usual courtesies extended to a visiting squad. When the team arrived in the city, more than 500 people gathered outside the team hotel, chanting "Son" — a reference to Son Heung-min — and "Corea" at the top of their lungs.

Locals have been greeting Korean players and visitors alike with the phrase, "Korean brothers, you are already Mexican." The enthusiasm runs so deep that ordinary Korean tourists, not just players, are being mobbed for photos throughout the city.

The outpouring of goodwill traces directly to the 2018 Russia World Cup, when South Korea effectively rescued Mexico from elimination. In the final round of Group F matches, Mexico had been pushed to the brink after suffering a 0-3 defeat to Sweden.

At the same time, in the other Group F fixture, Mexico's fate hinged on defending champion Germany beating South Korea — a result that seemed all but certain. Instead, the South Koreans produced what became known as the "Miracle of Kazan."

In stoppage time, Kim Young-gwon scored a dramatic opener, and Son Heung-min — now of LAFC — sealed the win by sprinting 50 meters into an empty net. The 2-0 victory sank Germany and, despite South Korea's own elimination on goal difference, it handed Mexico a second-place finish in the group and a round-of-16 berth.

South Korea had, in effect, pulled Mexico back from the edge. The country erupted in gratitude, and the chant "Korean brothers, you are already Mexican" was born that day, when hundreds of Mexican football fans flooded the South Korean embassy in Mexico City to celebrate.

Kang Seon-gu, 41, a Korean resident who has lived in Guadalajara for 24 years, recalled the moment vividly. "This is simply a country mad about football," he said. "Back then, just being Korean on the street meant strangers would hoist you onto their shoulders. At bars, drinks were free for a good while."

Lee Chang-seon, 50, president of the Guadalajara Korean Association, added: "A friend's son went to school that day and got tossed in the air by his classmates just for being Korean. The energy was absolutely incredible."

On top of that history, the sweeping influence of hallyu across Mexico has only deepened the affection.

Tens of thousands of fans packed Zócalo Plaza in Mexico City ahead of a BTS concert last May, when the group visited the National Palace — a sign of just how intense the hallyu craze has become in the country.

Min Su-i, director of the Korean Cultural Center in Mexico, said the enthusiasm runs broad and deep. "Mexico has an exceptionally high level of interest in Korean culture across the board — K-pop, drama series, the popular cosmetics industry," she said. "Everyone knows BTS, and there are people who can name Han Kang and her individual works. The interest in hallyu here is both wide and deep."

The star power of Korea's top players also resonates in a country where football is a national obsession.

Alfredo Olivares, 36, a reporter at Mexican sports daily Record, said Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae and Lee Kang-in are household names among Mexican football fans. "Football is the No. 1 sport in Mexico, so everyone knows those three," he said. "People here think South Korea is the strongest team in Asia, and everyone is looking forward to the matchup."

Mexico's commanding all-time record against South Korea has also given local fans the psychological ease to treat the Koreans more as welcome guests than dangerous rivals. In senior men's international play, South Korea holds a record of four wins, three draws and eight losses against Mexico.