Bae Jun-ho injury clouds South Korea's World Cup opener against Czech Republic

Bae Jun-ho, 23, the youngest member of South Korea's World Cup squad, has been unable to complete the team's regular training schedule due to injury, casting doubt on his availability for the opening group-stage match against the Czech Republic.

South Korea, managed by Hong Myung-bo, face the Czech Republic on Friday at 11 a.m. Korean Standard Time at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan in their Group A opener at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

With two days to go before that match, the squad trained Wednesday at Chivas Valle Verde in Zapopan, near Guadalajara. Unlike previous sessions, in which the first 15 minutes had been open to the media, Hong's side closed the entire session as focus sharpened ahead of the Czech Republic clash.

Bae was again absent from the closed session, sources said. The Stoke City midfielder had been substituted off during a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago at the pre-tournament camp in Salt Lake City last month after going down from a rough tackle.

He has since complained of discomfort in his right ankle and has been limited to individual training, missing team sessions both at the Salt Lake City camp and at the Guadalajara base camp. His absence from Wednesday's session — two days before kickoff — makes it unlikely he will feature against the Czech Republic.

The remaining 27 players trained normally for an hour and a half. According to a team official, the session began with a warmup, light coordination drills and rondo exercises, before shifting to offensive and defensive tactical work and an intensive set-piece session in preparation for Friday's match.

After the Trinidad and Tobago friendly on June 4, Hong said, "We did not expose our set pieces in the friendly. Once we get to Mexico, we plan to sharpen them through dedicated set-piece training."

The squad will hold an official news conference at Guadalajara Stadium on Thursday and take to the pitch to acclimatize to the playing surface, before returning to Chivas Valle Verde for a final training session.