▲ Security personnel restrict the movement of reporters as the Czech national team trains at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium in Mansfield, Texas, on the morning of June 7 (local time).
The Czech national team, South Korea's first opponent in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, has completely closed its training sessions to the public as it intensifies final preparations for the match against South Korea.
The Czech team continued its training for the third consecutive day since arriving at its base camp at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium in Mansfield, Texas, today (June 9, local time).
Having advanced through the European playoffs to reach the World Cup finals for the first time in 20 years since the 2006 Germany tournament, the Czech Republic will face the South Korean team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, in the Group A opener of the North American World Cup. The match is scheduled for 11:00 AM on June 12 (Korea Standard Time) at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico.
For South Korea (FIFA ranking 25th), which dreams of reaching the round of 16 or further—a feat that would mark its best performance in an away World Cup—the opening match against the Czech Republic (FIFA ranking 39th) is a crucial game that could set the tone for the entire tournament.
After arriving in the United States on June 5 to set up their World Cup base camp and beginning their preparations with an open community training session on June 6, the Czech team opened the first 15 minutes of their training to media from South Korea and the Czech Republic yesterday.
They maintained "ironclad security," strictly controlling the movement of reporters and escorting them out of the stadium as soon as the allotted time ended, even prohibiting filming from the perimeter. Today, however, they declared the training session entirely closed to the public.
The Czech team had previously announced upon their arrival in the U.S. that they would hold one "completely closed" training session, with no media access, before the first match, and they chose today, three days before the game, to do so.
It appears they determined this to be the ideal day to fully focus on refining their "winning strategy," as they will soon need to prepare for travel to Mexico, the site of the opening match against South Korea, and undergo the flight.
The Czech team provided updates on their status today by posting only footage of players warming up on social media.
Instead of opening the training ground, the team arranged player interviews for international media at their hotel in Fort Worth, Texas. It is reported that goalkeeper Lukáš Horníček, born in 2002, will attend.
Horníček, who plays for SC Braga in Portugal, made his international debut in a friendly match against Kosovo on May 31 and was subsequently named to the final roster, setting the stage for his first-ever World Cup appearance.
Within the Czech national team, Matěj Kovář, who plays for PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands, is considered the most likely candidate to start as the primary goalkeeper for this World Cup.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.