Hong Myung-bo has six days to choose South Korea’s shape against Mexico
16 June 2026
South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo has one question to settle in the six-day gap after Czechia. He can trust the back three he built around Kim Min-jae against Mexico, or revert to the back four his players play every week at their clubs.
Hong told reporters that one fixed plan carries risk at a World Cup. “Relying on a single tactic was difficult,” he said, so South Korea had “consistently practised the back-three system” and could use the six-day rest after Czechia to analyse the next opponent and “respond with a different formation.” 1
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