We stay in Mexico for the second day of World Cup 2026 action with South Korea and the Czech Republic treating us to a 3am kick-off UK time at the Akron Stadium in Zapopan.
It’s the second game in Group A following on from the tournament opener which features co-hosts Mexico against South Africa.
The Czech Republic booked their place at the World Cup by holding their nerve in penalty shootouts against both the Republic of Ireland and Denmark in the play-offs.
South Korea have real World Cup pedigree. They were the only unbeaten team in the AFC qualifiers and have appeared at every World Cup tournament since making their debut in 1986.
In the evening we switch to Canada for the first game in Group B, with Les Rouges hosting Bosnia & Herzegovina in an 8pm game at BMO Field, Toronto.
Canada have lost all six games in their previous two appearances at a World Cup, but coach Jesse Marsch did lead the present side to the semi-finals of the 2024 Copa America.
It is just a second appearance on the big stage for Bosnia & Herzegovina, but a haul of 17 points out of a possible 24 in qualifying shows a team familiar with winning.
Like the Czech Republic, they too qualified via the play-offs with penalty shootout victories over Wales and Italy.
Below we look ahead to both games with some selections from NetBet Sport’s wide range of World Cup odds.
*All odds are subject to change
South Korea vs Czech Republic: Total goals – Over 2.5 @ 2.15
Throughout an unbeaten qualifying campaign, South Korea boss Hong Myung-bo employed a back four. Subsequent experiments with a back three have seen the Koreans lose 5-0 at home to Brazil and 4-0 at home to Ivory Coast. There was also concern over the recent form of talismanic striker Son Heung-min, who has failed to score in all 12 MLS appearances for Los Angeles in 2026, although he has delivered nine assists. A 5-0 friendly win over Trinidad and Tobago two weeks ago seems to have calmed the nation. The back-three system kept a clean sheet while Son plundered two goals. Czech Republic coach Ivan Hasek was sacked ahead of the play-offs and replaced by Miroslav Koubek, 74, who installed a wing-back formation that saw Czechia through. But despite being unbeaten since he took the reins, the team has continued to concede goals, failing to keep a clean sheet in all four games in which he has been in charge. With both defences looking fragile, we could hopefully be served up some interesting goalmouth action.
South Korea vs Czech Republic: Player to score or assist – Tomas Soucek @ 4.00
The Czech Republic scraped through qualifying after an embarrassing group stage that included a 2-1 defeat by the Faroe Islands. There was further unrest when West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek was stripped of the captaincy for not acknowledging fans after a 6-0 win over Gibraltar last November. But his goal in that game was his fourth in as many matches for club and country. He enters this World Cup having scored eight goals in 49 appearances for relegated West Ham and Czechia combined. That’s a tally of one goal in every six games – and he hasn’t scored in his last five matches!
Canada vs Bosnia & Herzegovina: Draw @ 3.41
Canada are on an unbeaten run stretching back over eight games, including the 1-1 draw with the Republic of Ireland last weekend. But that was their fifth draw in that sequence, and they haven’t scored more than two goals during any of those matches. That suggests we could witness a tight encounter in their opening group game, where they will also be shouldering the burden of expectation from the home crowd.
Canada vs Bosnia & Herzegovina: Anytime goalscorer – Edin Dzeko @ 3.75
Wait, is that the Edin Dzeko? Yes, still going strong at 40, the legendary Bosnia & Herzegovina striker was the sovereign state’s top scorer in qualifying with six goals, including the 86th-minute equaliser that broke Welsh hearts. He arrives on the back of a successful short-term spell in Germany. Having joined Schalke 04 in January, he contributed six goals and three assists in just 11 games, to help the club secure promotion to the Bundesliga. The veteran goal grabber loves a big occasion.
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