Team Korea's first match kicks off at 11 a.m. Friday, Korea time South Korean men's national football team trains ahead of the FIFA World Cup at Chivas Verde Valle in Zapopan, Mexico, on Monday (local time). (Yonhap) Often, the World Cup meant fighting sleep to watch Team Korea play, staying up late into the night, sometimes into the wee hours.But at the upcoming 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States, South Korea’s Group A matches will all kick off in the morning — not at dawn, but just in time for brunch.The schedule begins Friday at 11 a.m., when South Korea will open its World Cup campaign against the Czech Republic at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan, in Mexico's Jalisco state. Ranked No. 25 in the latest FIFA standings, Hong Myung-bo's side will be favored against a Czech team sitting at No. 41. Locker rooms at Kansas City Stadium (Getty Images via AFP) South Korea's second match comes against a familiar World Cup opponent. On June 19 at 10 a.m., the Taeguk Warriors will face Mexico, one of the host countries, which ranks No. 15 on the FIFA rankings. The two will renew their World Cup rivalry for a third time, having previously crossed paths in France in 1998 and Russia in 2018. The showdown will be held at Estadio Guadalajara.Korea's final group-stage match is scheduled for June 25 at 10 a.m., a date that holds particular significance in Korea as the anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950. The national team will play against South Africa at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey.Meanwhile, under the expanded 48-team World Cup format, Korea has several options for the knockout stage.Winning the group stage would send Korea to the round of 32, where it would face a third-placed team from another group in Mexico.A runner-up finish would set up a trip to Los Angeles for a meeting with the second-placed team from Group B.Even a third-place finish could be enough to progress. In that scenario, however, Korea would likely face a much tougher test against the winner of either Group E or Group G.