First Win for Coach Hong Myung-bo: "High-Altitude Training Was a Decisive Factor" [2026 World Cup]

Come-from-behind 2-1 Victory Over Czech Republic
"Opponents' Stamina Dropped in the Second Half"
"First World Cup Win in 12 Years for Both Players and Coach"

"I believe that high-altitude training ultimately had a significant impact on the match. I could clearly see that the Czech players' stamina declined considerably in the second half."

Head coach Hong Myung-bo assessed that the high-altitude adaptation training conducted in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, ahead of the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup, was a key factor in the Korean team's victory in their opening group stage match against Czech Republic.

On June 12 (Korean time), the Korean national football team defeated Czech Republic 2-1 in their Group A opener of the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup at Zapopan Guadalajara Stadium in Mexico. After conceding the opening goal to Ladislav Krejci of Czech Republic in the 14th minute of the second half, Korea equalized in the 22nd minute with a goal from Hwang Inbeom (Feyenoord), and then took the lead with a go-ahead goal by Oh Hyungyu (Besiktas) in the 35th minute of the second half.

Hwang Inbeom became the biggest contributor to the victory by scoring the equalizer and assisting Oh Hyungyu's game-winning goal, recording one goal and one assist. Lee Kangin (Paris Saint-Germain) also contributed with an assist on Hwang Inbeom's equalizer.

Korea demonstrated superior stamina in the second half and secured a come-from-behind victory. Many have credited the team's advance adaptation training, considering the stadium is located at an altitude of 1,571 meters.

Yonhap News

Hong's squad set up a pre-tournament camp in Salt Lake City, USA, at an altitude of about 1,460 meters starting on May 18, conducting high-altitude adaptation training. After approximately three weeks of training, they arrived in Guadalajara, the site of the match, on June 5. In contrast, Czech Republic, which secured a spot in the finals only in April through the European playoffs, did not have enough time to secure a schedule for high-altitude adaptation training. Their base camp was set in Texas, as designated by FIFA, and they moved to Guadalajara just one day before their first match. Because Texas is at a low altitude, playing at Guadalajara Stadium was likely a burden for the Czech players.

In the post-match press conference, coach Hong stated, "Our players pushed the opposition even harder in the latter stages of the match physically," adding, "High-altitude training gave us a tremendous advantage."

Coach Hong, who overcame the pain of failure at the 2014 Brazil World Cup, has now achieved his first World Cup victory as a manager. In his managerial debut at the 2014 Brazil World Cup, he suffered the heartbreak of a group stage exit with one draw and two losses.

Coach Hong remarked that it took him 12 years to achieve his first win as a player at the World Cup, and now, as a coach, it also took 12 years. As a player, he first appeared on the World Cup finals stage at the 1990 Italy World Cup, but was eliminated after losing all three matches; he also failed to secure a win at the 1994 USA World Cup (two draws and one loss) and the 1998 France World Cup (one draw and two losses). It was not until the opening group match of the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, when Korea defeated Poland 2-0, that he finally tasted victory as a player at the World Cup.

Coach Hong said, "I'm personally delighted to secure my first win as a manager," but quickly added, "This victory belongs to the players, who truly gave everything today," attributing credit to the team.

Regarding Hwang Inbeom, the hero of the victory, he said, "I was planning for him to play about 60 minutes, but he showed strong determination to keep going. As a result, he was able to create dramatic moments that greatly helped the team," offering praise.

On Oh Hyungyu, who scored on his World Cup debut after coming on as a substitute, Hong said, "He was a prepared option. He has always put in a lot of effort and showed great performance," giving him a positive assessment.

Coach Hong Myung-bo is rejoicing as he embraces coaches and players after securing a 2-1 comeback victory against Czech Republic in the Group A first match of the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup held on the 12th (Korean time) at Zapopan Guadalajara Stadium in Mexico. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Korea will face Mexico in their second group stage match at the same stadium on June 19. Since both teams have three points, this game is expected to be a decisive moment in the race for the top spot in the group.

The passion of Mexican fans for football is considered among the highest in the world. As the match will be played at home, Mexico City Stadium is likely to be packed with local fans on game day, June 19.

Coach Hong commented, "I have seen how Mexico plays with tremendous support from their home fans. This will certainly be a huge challenge for us. However, the fact that we have already played a match at this stadium is a positive for us." He added, "Both teams have now collected three points. The next match has become extremely important for both sides."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.