South Korea vs Czech Republic Tips, Odds & Prediction: World Cup 2026

* Odds supplied by Betway, accurate when this preview was written.

South Korea and Czech Republic clash at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara in the small hours of Friday 12 June, kicking off at 04:00 CAT. Son Heung-min captains a Korean team packed with players based in Europe, while Czech Republic rely on Patrik Schick and Tomas Soucek to get their campaign off to a good start. The bookies rate this as a coin toss, and I am expecting a close, tactical battle. Every one of our World Cup betting tips is in our dedicated section.

South Korea

I think South Korea have the better mix of speed and quality out wide, with Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in and Hwang Hee-chan each posing a different kind of threat in a 3-4-2-1. The fitness doubts over Kim Min-jae and Hwang In-beom are genuine and could affect the balance in midfield, as both go into the tournament nursing knocks. Coach Hong Myung-bo has set this team up to press in the middle and counter at speed, and I believe Son will be the star of the show. Neither the Akron surface nor the 04:00 CAT kickoff suits one team more than the other, so the quality of the squads should decide it.

Expected Lineup: Kim Seung-gyu; Lee Han-beom, Kim Min-jae, Kim Tae-hyeon; Seol Young-woo, Kim Jin-gyu, Hwang In-beom, Lee Tae-seok; Lee Kang-in, Hwang Hee-chan, Son Heung-min.

Czech Republic

Czech Republic come in in good order, with Tomas Soucek bringing bite to the midfield and Patrik Schick a dependable scorer inside the box. As I see it, their 4-2-3-1 is well organised, with Adam Hlozek and Vaclav Cerny providing speed on the flanks and Pavel Sulc playing as the number ten. Ladislav Krejci and Tomas Holes form the core of the defence, and they will try to snuff out Korea's counters through Soucek’s discipline. I see them sitting in a low block when required and then switching play quickly to send Hlozek in behind.

Expected Lineup: Kovar; Coufal, Holes, Krejci, Jurasek; Soucek, Barak; Cerny, Sulc, Hlozek; Schick.

To me this is a truly even Group A meeting, with neither team wanting to lose their first game. South Korea hold a small advantage in attacking quality with Son in good form, but the Czech midfield is strong enough to cancel that out. I think it will be a close match settled by moments of quality. My forecast: South Korea 1 Czech Republic 1.

BTTS: Yes at 1.88

My pick is Both Teams to Score: Yes, and the reasoning is simple: both teams have a proven scorer in Son Heung-min and Patrik Schick, and neither back line is settled enough to keep a clean sheet for 90 minutes. Korea will push players forward through Son and Lee Kang-in, which leaves gaps for Schick to exploit on the break. At 1.88 from Betway, BTTS: Yes fits nicely with my 1-1 forecast and gives the best value of the three markets we have priced up.