Ads for South Korea's World Cup opener against Czech Republic sell out at $3.9M

Advertising slots for South Korea's opening match against the Czech Republic at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America have sold out, generating roughly 6 billion won (approximately $3.94 million).

Korea Broadcasting Advertising Corporation, known as KOBACO, said Thursday it had sold out all ad inventory for the Korea-Czech Republic match — the national team's first game of the tournament — at around 6 billion won. Virtual advertising worth approximately 3.4 billion won also sold out ahead of schedule.

KOBACO had set its initial sales target above the roughly 14 billion won KBS spent to secure broadcast rights for the World Cup, and has since surpassed that goal. A final tally of total ad sales will be released after the tournament ends.

KOBACO said advertising sales for major sporting events such as the World Cup and the Olympics typically require more than six months of preparation.

After KBS confirmed it would broadcast the tournament on KBS 2TV, KOBACO moved quickly to build out its sales framework — establishing a sales system, completing FIFA approval procedures, holding sales briefings, pitching official sponsors, briefing major advertising agencies and running regular subscription sales, all within roughly seven weeks.

Despite the tight timeline, KOBACO said it was able to rapidly package the ad inventory as a commercial product and channel advertiser demand into KBS ad sales.

Virtual ads and a newly introduced hydration break ad format also sold out early. The hydration break is a three-minute pause at the 22-minute mark of each half, allowing players to rehydrate and rest briefly.

Meanwhile, the South Korea squad led by head coach Hong Myung-bo trained Wednesday at Chivas Verde Valle in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, one day before their 2026 North and Central America World Cup opener against the Czech Republic.

At the start of the session — open to media for 18 minutes — players and coaching staff gathered in a circle near the center circle. After Hong addressed the group, the players ran a full lap around the pitch. Kim Tae-hyun of Kashima Antlers, who injured his ankle in training the previous day and may miss the group stage entirely, worked out alone indoors. Bae Jun-ho of Stoke City, who twisted his ankle in a deep tackle during a pre-tournament friendly against Trinidad and Tobago, rode a stationary bike on the sideline.

South Korea face the Czech Republic on Friday morning at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan. A win would clear what could be called the halfway point on the road to the round of 32. A loss, however, would pile pressure on the second match against host nation Mexico. South Korea have never advanced from the group stage after losing their opening match in World Cup history.

Speaking at a press conference held earlier at Guadalajara Stadium, Hong said the team had left nothing to chance in preparing for the tournament. "When I look at things internally, I feel very positive about our chances in the first match," he said.

월드컵 D-1 손흥민 “내가 말릴 정도로 선수들 열정적 준비…그 노력 꽃피길”

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