KOR
▲ Hugo Broos, head coach of the South African national team—the final opponent for South Korea in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup—instructs his players during a training session at the Pachuca University of Football in Hidalgo, Mexico, on June 19 (local time).
The South African national team, the final group stage opponent for Hong Myung-bo's squad at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, has returned to its base camp following its second match and resumed training in preparation for the upcoming game against South Korea.
Led by head coach Hugo Broos (Belgium), the South African team held a training session on June 20 (KST) at the training facility within the Pachuca University of Football in Hidalgo, Mexico.
The South African team returned to Pachuca after drawing 1-1 with the Czech Republic in their second Group A match at Atlanta Stadium in Georgia, USA, the previous day.
South Africa, which suffered a 0-2 defeat to co-host Mexico in their opening match on the 12th—a game in which two of their players were sent off—managed to secure a valuable point against the Czech Republic by scoring a late second-half equalizer from a penalty kick after trailing 0-1.
In Group A, Mexico secured an early spot in the Round of 32 and first place in the group with 6 points after defeating South Korea 1-0 at Guadalajara Stadium the previous day. South Korea (3 points) follows, with the Czech Republic and South Africa (1 point each) trailing behind.
In the third match scheduled for the 25th at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico, South Korea aims to secure a spot in the Round of 32 by defeating South Africa, while South Africa also needs a win to keep its hopes of advancing alive.
South Africa has been eliminated in the group stage in all three of its previous World Cup appearances (1998, 2002, and 2010).
While Mexico and the Czech Republic took a day off from training following the second round of Group A matches, the South African team continued its preparations without rest, despite a relatively long journey.
Key midfielder Teboho Mokoena, who scored the equalizing penalty the previous day but will miss the match against South Korea due to accumulated yellow cards, and other starters from the Czech Republic match focused on recovery with light walks instead of field training.
The remaining players, including forward Lyle Foster (Burnley), the only South African player in the English league who started against Mexico but remained on the bench against the Czech Republic, warmed up with light ball touches during the first 15 minutes open to the media before splitting into three groups for passing drills.
Coach Broos was seen closely monitoring the players' movements, showing his focus on preparing for the match against South Korea.
Like South Korea, South Africa has set up its base camp at a high altitude for this World Cup.
Pachuca, located about 90 km from the Mexican capital of Mexico City, sits at an altitude of approximately 2,400 meters.
This is higher than Guadalajara, where Team Hong Myung-bo is based at an altitude of 1,570 meters.
The South African training ground is located within a sports university centered on football.
It is a place where athletes can fully immerse themselves in training, as it also houses the training facility for CF Pachuca, a Liga MX club based in Pachuca.
While the South Korean national team plans to take a full day off tomorrow (the 21st) to spend time with their families, the South African team is scheduled to continue its training.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
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