![Karina and Winter of K-pop group aespa take a selfie at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, on Thursday, ahead of South Korea's Group A opener against the Czech Republic at the 2026 North America World Cup. [Yonhap]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/12/rcv.YNA.20260612.PYH2026061204550001301_P1.jpg)
Football commentator Park Moon-sung has predicted South Korea will beat the Czech Republic 1-0 in their Group A opener at the 2026 North America World Cup on Friday.
Speaking by phone on CBS Radio's "Park Sung-tae's News Show" on Friday, Park said he was backing a 1-0 South Korea victory. "We have prepared well, while the Czech Republic had a difficult time preparing," he said.
The key factor behind his prediction is altitude acclimatization. Guadalajara, where the match is being held, sits 1,600 meters above sea level. "Think of it as building a stadium on top of Seoraksan and playing there," Park said. "Players will feel the difference in fatigue and breathing."
South Korea spent three weeks training at altitude in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Czech Republic qualified late through the European playoff, trained at low altitude and only arrived in Guadalajara the day before the match.
Park also argued South Korea holds an edge in overall squad quality. "When you look at the level of their clubs and the individual ability and competitiveness of the players, we are ahead," he said, adding that foreign media have also viewed South Korea as the slight favorite in this match.
He did, however, flag the Czech Republic's height as a threat. Park noted the squad's average height across all 26 players is 186 centimeters, with the starting 11 averaging between 188 and 190 centimeters. "We cannot afford to give up crosses easily," he said. "In dangerous areas, we need to be careful about giving away fouls."
On concerns about the three-back system's readiness, Park acknowledged it was "a reasonable point," citing the unavoidable disruption caused by injuries to Kim Ju-sung (Hiroshima), Jo Yu-min (Sharjah) and Kim Tae-hyun (Kashima), which forced repeated changes to the defensive line.
Park also explained the tournament's expanded format, noting that advancing from the group stage now means reaching the round of 32, and that even a third-place finish can be enough to qualify. "I think our team can reach the round of 16," he said. "Getting through to the round of 32 should be straightforward."
South Korea, managed by Hong Myung-bo, face the Czech Republic at Guadalajara Stadium on Friday at 11 a.m. Korean Standard Time.
dbsdn1110@heraldcorp.com
