South Korea captain Son Heung-min (right) attempts a lob during the Group A match between South Korea and Mexico at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan, Mexico, Thursday. (Yonhap) The Taegeuk Warriors brought a touch of Korea to the World Cup stage, taking the field against Mexico on Thursday night in purple uniforms adorned with the country's national flower, known as the mugunghwa, or rose of Sharon.The game, which was widely expected to be the de facto Group A decider, kicked off Thursday night — or 10 a.m. Friday in Korea time — at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan, western Mexico. Mexico was leading the group on goal difference after beating South Africa 2-0 in its opening match.Introduced in March as the national team's uniform for matches played away from home, the purple kit was first worn in a friendly game against Austria on April 1. South Korea's Lee Kang-in (right) jumps for the ball during a Group A World Cup match against Mexico, in Zapopan, Mexico, Friday. (Yonhap) The national flower's petals are reflected in the floral patterns decorating the light purple shirt, shorts and socks.Purple was chosen to help players with color vision deficiencies better distinguish the teams on the field. Mexico, for its part, wore a black Sunstone-themed kit rather than its traditional green uniform — its first black World Cup uniform since 2010."Inspired by the concentrated energy and explosive momentum of the Mugunghwa in bloom, the design seeks to visually express Korea's dynamic spirit," said Nike, which produced the uniform. The South Korea national soccer team poses for a group photo after a friendly game against Austria on April 1. (Yonhap) South Korea's new national team kit for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is displayed at the Nike Gangnam flagship store in Seoul. (Yonhap) Korea entered the game against Mexico in second place in Group A after a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic. A win would have lifted the Taegeuk Warriors to the top of the group. Korea lost both of its previous World Cup encounters with Mexico, in 1998 and 2018.Mexico won a tightly contested game on home turf by a score of 1-0, taking firm control of Group A.