While the spotlight has been on Mexico's opening victory, tonight's match could prove just as important in shaping Group A.
South Korea and Czechia enter the tournament as the two most likely challengers behind Mexico, making this opening clash a potential swing game in the race for a knockout-round berth.
With little separating the sides on paper, I expect a competitive battle in Guadalajara.
Read on for my South Korea vs. Czechia predictions and World Cup picks for Thursday, June 11.
- UPDATE: Added Patrick Schick to score (+190)!
top pick
Who will win South Korea vs Czechia: Draw (+215)
Czechia's last two official matches ended in draws against Ireland and Denmark. They endured a dismal qualifying campaign, which included a 2-1 defeat to the Faroe Islands and a 5-1 thrashing by Croatia.
Czechia are not at their best at the moment, but they could still raise their game and secure one of the remaining places in the knockout stages of the World Cup bracket.
South Korea haven't exactly been convincing, either. They've comfortably beaten weaker opponents but have struggled against stronger sides.
They kept things close against Austria in their most recent match against European opposition, a friendly in March, but still suffered a 1-0 defeat.
I expect a tightly-contested encounter and favor a draw in the World Cup odds.
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South Korea vs Czechia Over/Under Pick: Under 2.5 (-150)
Czechia did put three past Guatemala last Friday, but is that confirming an improvement in their goalscoring abilities? I wouldn't say so. Don't omit the fact that the playoff matches in March were their best outings after a long series of mishits.
In November, they only beat San Marino 1-0; the national team that sits at the bottom of the European coefficients list after losing to the Faroe Islands 2-1 just a month before. Also note that South Korea kept it tight in front of all the opponents that were close to them in terms of quality.
In the qualifiers, they drew 1-1 against three sides that were obvious underdogs: Jordan, Oman, and Palestine. I can't see either South Korea or Czechia going all-out attack mode, with a cautious approach way more likely from both.
South Korea vs Czechia goal scorer pick
Patrick Schick (+190)
Czechia will be leaning heavily on the attacking firepower of Bayer Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick, who scored 16 Bundesliga goals this season and has 25 goals in 52 appearances for his country.
He's also proven that he is a big-game player: At Euro 2020, he was the competition’s top scorer, alongside Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, with five goals each, and also found the net in the playoff match against Ireland in March — plus he scored in Czechia’s final World Cup warm-up against Guatemala.
South Korea vs Czechia confirmed starting lineup
South Korea (3-4-2-1): Kim, Lee, Kim, Lee, Seol, Hwang, Paik, Lee, Lee, Lee, Son
Czechia (3-4-2-1): Kovar, Krejci, Hranac, Chaloupek, Zeleny, Sojka, Soucek, Coufal, Provod, Sulc, Schick
South Korea vs Czechia injuries
South Korea: No key injuries to report.
Czechia: No key injuries to report.
South Korea vs Czechia weather
Showers and thunderstorms are expected during the pre-match for this encounter.
South Korea vs Czechia odds
 South Korea |
 Czechia |
|
|---|---|---|
| +155 | Moneyline | +185 |
| +215 | Draw | +215 |
| Over 2.5 (+130) | Total | Under 2.5 (-150) |
Odds courtesy of Kalshi.
How to watch South Korea vs Czechia
Check out FIFA's official 2026 World Cup website for more information.
| Location | Estadio Akron, Guadalajara, Mexico |
| Date | Thursday, June 11, 2026 |
| Time | 10:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | FS1 |
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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