South Africa’s group opponent South Korea set for early World Cup preparation

South Korea head coach Hong Myungbo says his outfit preparations are underway for the 2026 World Cup tournament.

The Bafana Bafana are paired in Group A against Mexico and South Korea following the draw in Washington DC last Friday. The three teams will be joined by a European qualifying team from the playoff, scheduled for March 2026.

South African will open their World Cup against host country, Mexico, at the iconic Azteca Stadium on June 11, 2026.

This match will be a repeat of the 2010 World Cup opener, where South Africa and Mexico played out a 1-1 draw at FNB Stadium.

Six month to the commencement of the tournament, Myungbo has disclsoed his side has already started preparation for the mundial as they seeks to triumph over South Africa and other opponents.

“I was taken aback to see us being selected at the very beginning. You can’t ever assume that you can get a favourable draw at a World Cup”

“Our work to analyse our opponents will start now. We’ve faced Mexico in September, and South Africa have produced very good results recently. These games will give us the base to build on,” he continued.

Bafana will face Mexico in the opening match while the Koreans will start their tournament against the play-off team from Europe.