With the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America one month away, the Group A opponents set to face the Korea national team are also accelerating their preparations. Like Korea, they have devised training programs focused on high-altitude adaptation, and they have finalized late-stage tune-up matches to check form, signaling thorough readiness.

As a co-host of the World Cup, Mexico, ranked 15th by FIFA, is preparing in earnest. Starting on the 7th, it assembled 20 domestic-based players at the training center in Mexico City to open a preliminary camp, beginning a long-term call-up of as many as five weeks. Although there was friction between the association and clubs over early player release, the clubs ultimately yielded for the success of the host nation by allowing players to join on time.

The training center in Mexico City sits at an elevation of 2,240 meters. While sharpening the cohesion of the domestic contingent, they have also combined altitude acclimatization, launching into high-intensity work.

Mexico is also playing more full-fledged rehearsals than most. It will meet Ghana (74th) on the 22nd of this month in Puebla, Mexico, then face Australia (27th) in Pasadena, United States, on the 30th. Returning to Mexico, it will play the final warm-up against Serbia (39th) in Toluca on the 4th of next month. The lineup mirrors virtual sparring partners targeting Korea, the Czech Republic, and South Africa, which await in the group stage. Leveraging the advantages of a host nation that can call up players early and conduct ample altitude training, Mexico has already shifted fully into training mode.

The Czech Republic (41st), the first group opponent for Korea, will be the only team in Group A to base itself in the United States. Having reached the finals through the European playoffs and thus confirmed qualification later than others, the Czech side will train in Mansfield near Dallas, Texas, which was preassigned to the winner of the European playoff.

The Czech team must play two of its three group matches in Mexico, making its travel distance among the longer ones at this tournament. Given that the base camp environment differs greatly from the high-altitude conditions in Mexico, some expect local adaptation to be challenging. The team will depart for the United States on the 31st and play a friendly against Guatemala in Harrison, New Jersey, on the 4th of next month. Before leaving for the United States, it is expected to play one more home match, with Chile mentioned as a possible opponent.

South Africa, ranked 60th and set to face the Hong Myung-bo team in the third and final group match, will train at the highest elevation. It will use Pachuca, Mexico, at an altitude of 2434ｍ, as a forward base. The South African outlet The Star reported, “Two weeks of training in Pachuca is a strategic choice to gain a physical edge in the group finale against Korea.” South Africa plans a friendly against Nicaragua in Johannesburg on the 29th to bid farewell to home fans before moving to Mexico the next day. The 74-year-old veteran coach Hugo Broos told local media they would also play Puerto Rico in Pachuca, although that schedule has not yet been finalized.

After announcing the final roster on the 16th, the Hong Myung-bo team will depart for Salt Lake City in the United States on the 18th for a two-week training camp. After a final tune-up against El Salvador on the 3rd of next month, it plans to enter the base camp in Guadalajara, Mexico, on the 5th.