"Struggling to Adapt to High Altitude, Now This..." Unexpected Variable in 3rd Match Against South Africa

[Anchor]

The third match against South Africa, which will determine our fate in the round of 32 of the World Cup, is set to take place in Monterrey, Mexico, this coming Thursday, Korea Standard Time. The national team, which had been focusing on adapting to high altitude, is now facing "sweltering heat."

Reporter Pyeon Gwang-hyun, who arrived in Monterrey a day ahead of the national team, reports on the heat at the scene.

[Reporter]

Monterrey, the third-largest city in Mexico, is located at an altitude of 500 meters—lower than Pyeongchang in Korea—unlike the high-altitude areas over 1,500 meters above sea level that the national team has been adapting to so far.

And the summer heat here is similar to that of Korea.

Late in the afternoon at Monterrey Stadium, ahead of the match between Japan and Tunisia.

Volunteers seeking shelter in the shade are fanning themselves repeatedly due to the stifling heat.

Unlike Guadalajara, which was cool in the evenings, the temperature here in Monterrey does not drop below 30°C (86°F) until 6 p.m.

Monterrey, where the stadium lacks air conditioning, is considered practically the hottest among the host cities for this tournament. The forecast indicates that the perceived temperature on the day of our match will reach as high as 38°C (100°F).

[Thalia & Fernanda / Mexican Soccer Fans: I think the Korean players' performance might drop a bit because of the heat. (It's so hot, right?) It's really hot.]

[Regina / Mexican Soccer Fan: They will definitely need to make many substitutions because of the humidity and the heat.]

Because of this, our national team will arrive in Monterrey early tomorrow, June 22, one day earlier than FIFA's recommendation, to undergo "heat acclimatization" to adjust their bodies to the sweltering weather.

On the other hand, our opponent, South Africa, may face difficulties in adapting to Monterrey.

Since they have been training at their base camp in Pachuca, where the daytime temperature is only 22°C (72°F), and are arriving in Monterrey two days before the match, they have less time to adapt to the heat than our team.

Our national team, which spent today recharging without training and pledging victory, will hold their final training session at the Guadalajara camp tomorrow morning before moving to Monterrey.

[Cho Gue-sung / National Soccer Team Forward: All the players are preparing well, and we will definitely repay the fans with a good performance and a victory in the final match against South Africa.]

(Video reporting: Hwang In-seok, Video editing: Kim Jong-mi, Design: Jang Chae-woo)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.