The pre-match story

Ghosts of Glory Meet in Guadalajara

Two nations arrive in Mexico bearing the weight of unfinished business. South Korea's 2002 miracle—that improbable run to the semi-finals—still glows in collective memory. Czechia carries older ghosts: two World Cup finals lost, a trophy split between nations that no longer exist together. Both want redemption. Both carry the burden of having touched greatness and fallen short.