Korean footballers participate in a training session in Mexico on June 14.NEWS1
Korea and Mexico went behind closed doors on Tuesday as they entered the final days of preparation for Thursday's FIFA World Cup 2026 clash, with first place in Group Aat stake.
Korea’s Taeguk Warriors held a fully closed-door training for 90 minutes at Chivas Valle Verde in Zapopan, Mexico. Unlike their previous training session before a match against the Czech Republic, where the first 15 minutes were open to viewing, the latest training was closed to the media in its entirety.
Injured midfielder Bae Jun-ho of Stoke City and center-back Kim Tae-hyeon of Kashima Antlers all joined the recent training.
“The team focused on refining its attacking and defensive shape, while also drilling high-, mid- and low-block defensive schemes,” a national team official said.
After tactical training, the Korean footballers continued set-piece training drills, including free-kicks and corner-kicks.
Korean footballers undertook their training at a facility which is a perfect replica of Guadalajara Stadium, where the Taeguk Warriors won against the Czech Republic and will take on Mexico's footballers.
Mexican footballers participate in a training session in Mexico City on June 14.YONHAP
On the same day, Mexico, led by head coach Javier Aguirre, continued preparations for its match against Korea at the national team training center in Mexico City.
The facility serves as the Mexican national team’s dedicated training base, equivalent to Korea Football Park in Cheonan, South Chungcheong.
Mexico had consistently opened roughly the first 15 minutes of its training sessions to the press before and after its Group A opener against South Africa last Thursday.
But with just three days to go before the match against the Taeguk Warriors, the El Tri has completely shut its doors to focus on tactical training.
Mexico's footballers are scheduled to travel to Guadalajara on Wednesday and hold a press conference afterwards. The itinerary seemingly provides the team little time to sharpen tactics before the match.
With Korea and Mexico both opening the tournament with victories over the Czech Republic and South Africa, respectively, the two sides sit atop Group A at three points.
The Taeguk Warriors train for their upcoming match against the Mexican national team near Guadalajara on June 15.NEWS1
The match on Thursday is therefore widely seen as a battle for first place in Group A.
Amid that backdrop, Mexican media expects several changes to the starting lineup beyond the absence of center back César Montes of Lokomotiv Moscow, who was sent off against South Africa.
ESPN Mexico reported that Aguirre is preparing three changes to his lineup for the match against Korea, with some being unavoidable, and others technical decisions. The outlet also identified captain Edson Álvarez of West Ham United as the leading candidate to replace Montes in the starting lineup, a possibility that has been raised repeatedly in recent days.
Korea and Mexico will face off at Guadalajara Stadium in Mexico at 8 p.m. on Thursday.
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This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
