South Korean players acknowledge their fans after defeating Czechia 2-1 in the teams’ Group A match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan, Mexico, on Thursday. (Yonhap) ZAPOPAN, Mexico — On the heels of their opening victory at the ongoing FIFA World Cup, South Korea received some encouraging news on the injury front on Friday.
Defender Kim Tae-hyeon, dealing with an ankle injury that some feared could keep him out of the group stage, will be available as early as next Thursday for South Korea’s second Group A match against Mexico.
Kim picked up the injury during a training session Tuesday at Chivas Verde Valle in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, and a national team official told reporters the next day that the left-footed center back may miss the entire group stage — which ends on June 24 for South Korea.
However, Song Jun-seob, the senior team doctor, said Friday that Kim’s injury wasn’t serious as once feared.
“The initial MRI confirmed a ligament tear but the picture wasn’t clear enough for us to determine the exact degree,” Song said. “We checked his swelling 24 hours later and determined that it was an average sprain. So we told the coaching staff that he should be able to play at the World Cup.”
Kim is one of just two left-footed center backs on the team, alongside Lee Gi-hyuk. With Kim not available in South Korea’s 2-1 win over Czechia on Thursday, Lee played the entire match and picked up a yellow card in the dying seconds of his World Cup debut.
In another injury-related development, midfielder Bae Jun-ho is on his way back from an ankle injury he sustained during a friendly match against Trinidad and Tobago on May 30.
“His sprain is more severe. It’s been nearly two weeks since he got hurt and he’s recovering,” Song said. “But another injury at this point would rule him out of the World Cup, and so we’re taking it conservatively.”
The Taegeuk Warriors were back at work at Chivas Verde Valle for a recovery session. Those who played the full match or had extensive minutes jogged around the pitch before heading indoors for more workouts, while 13 players who stayed on the bench or had limited action did some conditioning drills, followed by small-sided games.
South Korea beat Czechia at Estadio Guadalajara and will take on Mexico at the same venue at 7 p.m. Thursday (local time), or 10 a.m. Friday (South Korean time).
Mexico, one of three co-hosts of the tournament, blanked South Africa 2-0 in the tournament opener. The winner of the South Korea-Mexico showdown will be in a prime position to win Group A.
South Korea will rest Saturday and return to work the following day.