Key events6m agoPreamblePreambleJonathan HowcroftHello everybody and welcome to live coverage of the second match of the 2026 World Cup between South Korea and Czechia. Kick-off in this Group A clash at Estadio Guadalajara is 8pm local time (10pm EST / 3am BST / 12pm AEST).Following Shakira’s shimmies, three red cards, and the fanatical hosts welcoming us all to the 2026 World Cup with a celebrated victory, the second of the tournament’s 104 matches looks set to be a more muted affair. It features two sides in indifferent form with modest expectations opening their campaigns during the graveyard shift at the competition’s second smallest venue.South Korea arrive with plenty of World Cup pedigree but confidence dented by a couple of friendly hammerings. This is their 12th visit to the finals (an Asian record) and their 11th in succession (the fifth best active streak). They’ve won at least one match at five of the past six tournaments, progressing out of the group phase on three occasions, including in Qatar. But a 5-0 defeat to Brazil last year and a 4-0 trouncing by Ivory Coast in March has tempered ambitions.Son Heung-min remains the focal point but the near-34 year old is no longer the devastating attacking force of his prime and has yet to find the back of the net in this season’s MLS. Other household names include Paris Saint-Germain playmaker Lee Kang-in, and Bayern Munich man mountain Kim Min-jae. Both are regular starters for their clubs in domestic competitions but are forced to settle for places on the bench in the Champions League.Czechia return to the finals for the first time since 2006 and it’s only their second appearance since the break-up of Czechoslovakia. They qualified by the narrowest of margins, winning consecutive playoff penalty shootouts.Patrik Schick is the standout, the Bayer Leverkusen striker averaging a goal every other game at international level. Tomáš Souček is prominent in midfield, and Vladimír Coufal is important on the right. Both will be familiar to fans of West Ham United.At 74, Miroslav Koubek becomes the oldest coach in World Cup history tonight, but he will hold that record for barely two days, when 78 year old Dick Advocaat takes his seat in the Curaçao dugout.I’ll be back shortly with team news and more preview content. Please feel free to keep me company while I’m around. The address is jonathan.howcroft.freelance@theguardian.com.