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Drawn in what should be a tight group alongside co-hosts Mexico and South Africa, both South Korea and Czechia will be aiming to start their World Cup 2026 campaigns with a victory.
- Date: Friday, June 12
- Kick-off time: 3:00am BST / 10:00pm ET (Thur) / 12:00pm AEST
- FREE Stream: ITV (UK) / SBS (AUS)
- TV & Streaming: FS1 (US)
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Making their first World Cup appearance since 2006, Czechia’s route to the tournament was far from straightforward as they required penalty shoot-out wins over the Republic of Ireland and Denmark in the play-offs.
In contrast, South Korea breezed through qualifying, remaining unbeaten across 16 matches and conceding just eight goals.
Czechia head into the tournament on the back of friendly wins over Kosovo and Guatemala, and will be confident that their physicality can cause Korea problems, especially from set pieces.
Hong Myung-bo's side were perhaps even more impressive in their friendlies, putting five past Trinidad and Tobago before beating El Salvador.
Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch South Korea vs Czechia in the FIFA World Cup 2026 online, on TV, and from anywhere.
Watch South Korea vs Czechia for FREE
South Korea vs Czechia will be free-to-stream across multiple regions, including ITV in the UK, RTÉ Player in Ireland, SBS On Demand in Australia, CazéTV on YouTube in Brazil, NOS in the Netherlands, VRT in Belgium, SRF/RTS/RSI in Switzerland, and TRT in Turkey.
English commentary will be provided on ITV, RTE Player and SBS On Demand.
‼️ Outside one of these countries? Use Norton VPN to unlock your stream from anywhere in the world — more on that below.
Watch South Korea vs Czechia from anywhere
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How to watch South Korea vs Czechia in the UK
In the UK, you can stream South Korea vs Czechia on ITV 1.
How to watch South Korea vs Czechia in the US
In the US, you can stream South Korea vs Czechia on FS1.
This channel is accessible via Fox's own streaming platform Fox One or via a cord-cutting platform such as YouTube TV, Hulu+Live TV, Sling (select markets), Fubo or DirecTV.
How to watch South Korea vs Czechia in Australia
In Australia, you can watch South Korea vs Czechia on the free SBS On Demand.
South Korea vs Czechia: World Cup 2026 Preview
Despite excelling in qualifying, head coach Myung-bo has been heavily criticised by Korean fans for his safety-first approach. The supporters were particularly vocal during the draws with Palestine, with boos ringing out throughout both games.
There is also a concern about the strength in depth with only five of the 26-man squad playing in Europe’s top five leagues. However, the spine of the team remains particularly strong, thanks to the presence of Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae, PSG's Lee Kang-in and LAFC forward Son Heung-min.
The trio bring talent and experience to the team and their form will be vital if South Korea hope to escape from Group A.
Appointed just before Christmas, coach Miroslav Koubek successfully guided his nation through the play-offs after changing the approach of the side. Deploying a 3-4-2-1 formation, Czechia use their energetic wingbacks to fire in crosses for the imposing duo of Patrik Schick and Tomás Soucek.
It’s a simple but effective plan that also relies heavily on set-pieces. In fact, no side in European qualifying scored more from dead-ball scenarios than the Czechs (10).
While their physicality will cause teams problems, there is a concern as to how the players will fare playing at altitude and in intense heat.
South Korea vs Czechia: Group
FourFourTwo's prediction
South Korea 1-1 Czechia
Neither side will want to lose their opening fixture which could result in a tense affair.
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