Group A · Matchday 1

South KoreavsCzech Republic

2026-06-11·20:00 localPredictions finalised

Snapshot · 2026-07-14Model 1.0.0Final prediction · locked 11 Jun, 23:06 UTCSouth Korea·Czech Republic·Head-to-head →·
Full time · forecast gradedSouth Korea 2 1 Czech RepublicThe locked pre-match forecast has been graded against this result.See the calibration recap →

The forecast

Match-outcome probability

  • South Korea win
    40.1%
  • Draw
    26.5%
  • Czech Republic win
    33.4%

The model projects one of the most closely-contested fixtures of the round — South Korea and Czech Republic are separated by fine margins across every outcome.

Likeliest score1–114.1%
First goal0-15'31.7%
Both teams score47.3%
Over 2.5 goals40.2%
Top scorerHeung-min11.9%
Expected goals1.1 - 1.2
Loading pitch visualisation...

Why the model says this

Favoring South Korea

  • ·The ELO model component assigns South Korea a 42.7% win probability, higher than Czech Republic's 35.3%.
  • ·South Korea holds a FIFA ranking of 22, indicating a higher standing than Czech Republic, whose ranking is not provided.
  • ·South Korea secured a 2-1 victory in their most recent head-to-head encounter in 2016.

Favoring Czech Republic

  • ·Czech Republic's expected goals (xG) of 1.18 is marginally higher than South Korea's 1.15.
  • ·The HP model component gives Czech Republic a 37.6% win probability, exceeding South Korea's 33.6%.
  • ·Czech Republic recorded a dominant 5-0 win against South Korea in their 2001 head-to-head fixture.

What the model can't fully price

  • ·The model does not account for squad availability, with 5 players across both teams carrying fitness doubts, including 1 projected starter.
  • ·The specific venue for this match is not provided, meaning the model cannot incorporate any potential home advantage or specific pitch conditions.

Form check

South Korea

Declining

South Korea has a mixed recent record of three wins and three losses in their last six matches. After three consecutive wins (scoring 5 goals and conceding 0), they have suffered two recent defeats, failing to score in both (0-1, 0-4).

0 goals scored in their last two matches

Czech Republic

Steady

Czech Republic enters the match with a more stable recent form, recording two wins, three draws, and one loss in their last six fixtures. They have drawn their last two qualification matches (2-2, 2-2) and secured a significant 6-0 win in November 2025.

Unbeaten in their last four matches (2 wins, 2 draws)

Analysis

How it plays out

Both sides run a counter attacker system, so this becomes a test of who executes the same ideas better on the day. Czech Republic's aggressive press (PPDA 20.4) against South Korea's deeper build-up (PPDA 25.0) creates a clear territory question: can Czech Republic force errors high up, or will South Korea play through the press and find space behind it?

What decides it

Both sides run the same system (counter attacker), so execution quality separates them, not tactical asymmetry. Son Heung-min carries the marginally higher scoring probability (11.9% vs 6.6%).

Off the pitch

No major off-pitch asymmetries. This one is decided by the football.

The angle

Likely the last World Cup for Kim Seung-gyu. Tournament experience at this level is hard to quantify but hard to replace.

Goals & scorelines

Likeliest score 1–1 (14.1%) · xG 1.1 - 1.2

Expected goals

South Korea
1.12
Czech Republic
1.17

Mean of the Dixon-Coles joint goal distribution. Same fit that produces the most-likely-scoreline list below.

Most likely scorelines

  • 1–1
    14.1%
  • 0–1
    11.0%
  • 0–0
    10.9%
  • 1–0
    10.5%
  • 1–2
    7.8%

From the Dixon-Coles joint Poisson with the low-score correction. Scorelines are listed in probability order; this is a description of the model's distribution, not a recommendation.

Most likely half-time scorelines

  • 0–0
    32.4%
  • 0–1
    18.0%
  • 1–0
    17.2%
  • 1–1
    11.1%
  • 0–2
    5.5%

Same Dixon-Coles fit as the full-time list above, with rates halved to a 45-minute window and the low-score correction applied to that 1st-half block. The 0-0 row sits higher here than at full-time because fewer minutes have elapsed.

Goal totals

  • More than 0.5 goals
    89.1%
  • More than 1.5 goals
    67.5%
  • More than 2.5 goals
    40.2%
  • More than 3.5 goals
    19.9%
  • More than 4.5 goals
    8.3%
  • More than 5.5 goals
    2.9%
  • Both teams score
    47.3%

Each row is the probability the match finishes with more than the listed number of goals. Both-teams-to-score is the probability each side scores at least once. All values are marginals of the Dixon-Coles joint goal grid that produces the scoreline list above — not market lines or any other operator construct.

Event-typed probabilities

  • South Korea clean sheetOpposing team scores zero31.0%
  • Czech Republic clean sheetOpposing team scores zero32.6%

Derived from the same Dixon-Coles joint distribution as the scoreline list. These are descriptive event probabilities — see CLAUDE.md §3/§4 (formerly COMPLIANCE.md §4.2.7) for the framing the project uses.

Win-margin probability

  • South Korea by 4+
    1.1%
  • South Korea by 3+
    4.3%
  • South Korea by 2+
    13.9%
  • South Korea by 1+
    33.7%
  • Draw
    30.0%
  • Czech Republic by 1+
    36.3%
  • Czech Republic by 2+
    15.6%
  • Czech Republic by 3+
    5.0%
  • Czech Republic by 4+
    1.3%

Each row is the probability the match ends with the listed margin or larger in that direction. Marginal of the Dixon-Coles joint goal grid; the “by 1+” rows plus the draw row sum to 1.

How the match unfolds

Over 2.5 goals 40.2% · BTTS 47.3%

Game state through the match

0%25%50%75%100%0'15'30'45'60'75'90'
  • South Korea ahead34.5%
  • Level28.4%
  • Czech Republic ahead37.1%

Probability of each game state at minutes 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 — derived from two independent thinned-Poisson processes with the Dixon-Coles per-team rates. The three lines always sum to 1 at each minute. The right column shows the state at the match's closing minute.

When the first goal arrives

  • 0–15
    31.7%
  • 15–30
    21.7%
  • 30–45
    14.8%
  • 45–60
    10.1%
  • 60–75
    6.9%
  • 75–90
    4.7%
  • No goal
    10.1%

Probability the match's first goal arrives in each 15-minute window. Homogeneous Poisson with combined rate λ = λh + λa from the Dixon-Coles fit; the seven rows (six windows + no-goal tail) sum to 1.

Half-time / full-time grid

Joint probability of half-time and full-time results
HT ↓ / FT →HSouth Korea winDDrawACzech Republic win
HSouth Korea ahead20.6%4.8%1.6%
DLevel12.3%19.1%13.0%
ACzech Republic ahead1.5%4.8%22.4%

Each cell is P(half-time result, full-time result). All nine cells sum to 1. Derived from a halved-λ Dixon-Coles fit for the first half plus an independent-Poisson second-half convolution.

Comeback probability

  • South Korea trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT
    6.3%
  • Czech Republic trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT
    6.4%

Joint probability — P(side trailing at half-time AND avoiding defeat at full-time). NOT conditional on trailing at HT. Derived from the same half-time / full-time decomposition that produces the HT/FT grid above; a tied first half is neither a home nor an away comeback opportunity.

Cards

  • Expected yellow cardsMean of the Poisson on total yellow cards.3.45
  • Total yellows over 2.567.0%
  • Total yellows over 3.545.3%
  • Total yellows over 4.526.5%
  • Any red cardP(at least one red card in the match).9.5%

Referee not yet assigned. Using the 2026 pool-mean per-match rate as a placeholder; the model picks up the referee's personal rate once the assignment is published. Total yellow cards modelled as a Poisson with mean equal to two team baselines plus the referee's deviation from the pool mean. Reds are modelled the same way, independently. See /docs/methodology/.

Teams & players

Top scorer: Heung-min (11.9%)

Match detail

South Korea

Model-rated key players: Son Heung-min (FW) — P(scores) 11.9%; Oh Hyeon-gyu (FW) — P(scores) 2.9%; Joo Min-kyu (FW) — P(scores) 2.4%.

How they play

South Korea under Hong Myung-bo play a counter attacker game, with just 44% possession — among the lowest in the field. Their likely shape is a 4-2-3-1, though they have also used 4-3-3 and 4-4-2. They apply moderate pressing intensity (PPDA 25.0).

What they must execute

South Korea rely on defensive discipline and quick transitions — absorbing pressure and converting turnovers into attacking chances. Concentration and defensive organisation for full 90-minute stretches will determine whether the approach holds against top opposition. Managing minutes for Kim Seung-gyu across what could be seven matches will test the coaching staff's rotation planning.

Storylines
Dead-ball: Son Heung-minTakes corners, free kicks, and penalties — the team's dead-ball threat.
Long-haul: Travels 34,978 km across 2 venues in the group stage — one of the longest itineraries in the field.
Local-league core: Only 4 of 24 predicted-squad players played in a top-5 European league last season — the rest play home or in non-top-5 leagues.

Czech Republic

Model-rated key players: Patrik Schick (FW) — P(scores) 6.6%; Vladimír Darida (MF) — P(scores) 3.2%; Tomáš Chorý (FW) — P(scores) 3.5%.

How they play

Czech Republic under Miroslav Koubek play a counter attacker game, with just 45% possession — among the lowest in the field. They apply moderate pressing intensity (PPDA 20.4).

What they must execute

Czech Republic rely on defensive discipline and quick transitions — absorbing pressure and converting turnovers into attacking chances. Concentration and defensive organisation for full 90-minute stretches will determine whether the approach holds against top opposition.

Storylines
Club core: 8 of 26 predicted-squad players play their club football for Slavia Prague — a single-club spine on the international side.
Teen starter: Hugo Sochůrek18 at kickoff — 0 caps — projected on the bench, the squad's youngest pick.
Scoring form: Averaged 2.40 xG per match across 8 recent internationals — #5 of 35 in the field for attacking output.
Set-piece outlook

South Korea historically converts 12.6% of xG from set-pieces, contributing 0.14 expected set-piece goals in this fixture. Czech Republic converts 6.5% from set-pieces (0.08 expected). Combined, the model expects 0.22 set-piece goals across the 90 minutes.

  • P(South Korea scores set-piece goal) 13.2%
  • P(Czech Republic scores set-piece goal) 7.3%
  • P(set-piece goal in match) 19.5%

South Korea: Son Heung-min on corners (43 corners) (per fbref 2022 23) · Czech Republic: Adam Hložek on corners (9 corners), Tomáš Souček on free kicks (per fbref 2022 23)

Penalty outlook

If a penalty is awarded to South Korea, the model gives 72.5% conversion, 73.3% for Czech Republic.

South Korea primary PK: Son Heung-min (1/1 in 2020-21, per fbref 2022 23) · Czech Republic primary PK: Vladimír Darida (5/6 in 2014-15, per fbref 2022 23).

Derived from the model's per-fixture forecast joint and supporting reference data (predicted squads, set-piece xG share, PK posteriors, club minutes). See /docs/methodology/ for the full methodology.

Tactical forecast

South Koreacounter-attacker
PPDA
25.0
Possession
44%
Directness (yds/pass)
7.1
Long balls/90
40
Set-piece xG
13%
Czech Republiccounter-attacker
PPDA
20.4
Possession
45%
Directness (yds/pass)
7.8
Long balls/90
41
Set-piece xG
6%

Style profile per side from StatsBomb open-data aggregation across recent international tournaments (Euro 2020/2024, Copa America 2024, AFCON 2023, World Cup 2018/2022). The tactical-fingerprint badge maps each team’s observed style vector into one of eight canonical archetypes via a rule-based classifier; teams with fewer than three matches of qualifying coverage carry an “insufficient-data” label rather than being forced into a default. Sides outside the StatsBomb-open corpus use FotMob team match stats from recent qualifiers and friendlies instead (possession and shot volume only), marked as partial coverage. PPDA = passes the side allows per defensive action (lower = more intense press). Formation distributions are not yet produced — that head of the §2.7 classifier is pending its own data pull. See /docs/methodology/.

Squad depth

Most irreplaceable starters

South Korea

  1. Hwang In-beomDefensive midfieldCover: Park Jin-seob · 0.280.46gap
  2. Lee Kang-inAttacking midfieldCover: Lee Jae-sung · 0.410.46gap
  3. Cho Gue-sungStrikerNo natural backup0.31gap

Czech Republic

  1. Lukáš ProvodWingerNo natural backup0.38gap
  2. Patrik SchickStrikerCover: Mojmír Chytil · 0.600.30gap
  3. Matěj KovářGoalkeeperCover: Jindřich Staněk · 0.650.19gap

Gap = how far a side's rating at the position falls from the starter to his likely in-squad replacement (named under each name). Larger = harder to replace. Descriptive metric, does not feed the published probabilities. Methodology →

Match conditions

High-altitude venue. Guadalajara sits at 1,565 m above sea level — thinner air affects stamina and ball flight.

  • AltitudeHigh altitude1,565 m
  • Avg temperatureFive-year mean over the tournament window20.2 °C
  • Avg humidity76%
  • Heat stressShade WBGT ~22.4 °CLow heat stress
  • Pitch surfacenatural grass

Natural-grass football stadium.

Heat stress is a shade Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature proxy from the venue's climatology mean temperature and humidity; FIFA mandates cooling breaks at WBGT 32 °C. Evening kickoff (local time). These are long-window averages, not a match-day forecast, and they are not inputs to the forecast.

Top scorers · P(scores in this match)

South Korea
Czech Republic

Per-player scoring rate from Model #5 (`p_score_per_match`). Reflects each player's npxG/90, expected minutes, team xG share, and the average opposing-team defence. See /docs/methodology/.

Recent match form

Last match player ratings

South Korea

vs South Africa · avg 5.8

9
KOR GoalkeeperGK
ATK
DEF
PAS
6
KOR #3CB
ATK
DEF
PAS
4
Do-hyun RyuLMF
ATK
DEF
PAS
4
Kyung-min BaeCB
ATK
DEF
PAS

Czech Republic

vs Mexico · avg 5.3

6
Ladislav KrejčíCM
ATK
DEF
PAS
6
Yeboah ZamoraST
ATK
DEF
PAS
6
GalindezGK
ATK
DEF
PAS
6
RodriguezAM
ATK
DEF
PAS
5
Matěj KovářGK
ATK
DEF
PAS
3
HincapieCB
ATK
DEF
PAS

Player scores from official highlight analysis of each team's most recent match. Observational, not a model input. Methodology →

Video analysis: player performance

Per-player ratings and event breakdowns from official highlights analysis. Tap a player to see their full match timeline.

South Korea
8
Kim Seung-gyu

Made several vital stops, including a crucial late save, proving instrumental in securing the win.

1saves

Match timeline

8
Hwang In-beom

Scored South Korea's equalising goal with a precise finish, initiating the comeback.

1goals

Match timeline

8
Oh Hyeon-gyu

Came off the bench to score South Korea's winning goal, securing the comeback victory.

1goals

Match timeline

7
Son Heung-min

Demonstrated significant attacking intent with multiple shots on target, contributing to offensive pressure.

1shots1on target

Match timeline

Czech Republic
8
Czechia #7

Opened the scoring for Czech Republic with a well-executed header from a set-piece.

1goals1headers

Match timeline

Match observations

  • The match was a dynamic contest with both teams creating numerous scoring opportunities.
  • South Korea displayed strong character, achieving a comeback victory after conceding first.
  • Goalkeepers on both sides were instrumental, making crucial interventions throughout the game.

Under the hood

Model-by-model comparison

South Korea vs Czech Republic

High disagreement (10.7%)
ModelWeightHomeDrawAway
EloRating-based strength estimate32%
44.3%
22.0%
33.7%
Dixon-ColesGoal-process model with low-score correction63%
34.4%
29.4%
36.1%
Hierarchical PoissonBayesian model with confederation pooling6%
33.6%
28.9%
37.5%
Bayesian stackingLearned-weight combination
38.2%
29.4%
32.5%
Ensemble (published)Uniform average + isotonic calibration
34.4%
26.8%
38.8%
Home spread: 10.7%
Draw spread: 7.4%
Away spread: 3.8%
How each model works
Elo
Each team carries a single strength rating updated after every match by a margin-aware K-factor. Match probabilities come from the logistic function of the rating gap. Elo is fast-adapting but coarse — it sees only who won and by how much, not how the goals were scored.
Dixon-Coles
A Poisson regression on team-level attack and defence parameters, fitted via maximum likelihood with an exponential time-decay weighting. The Dixon-Coles correction adjusts the four low-score cells (0-0, 1-0, 0-1, 1-1) where independent Poisson underestimates dependence. Produces full scoreline distributions, not just H/D/A.
Hierarchical Poisson
A Bayesian Poisson model fitted via MCMC (PyMC) with hierarchical priors that pool attack and defence parameters within confederations. Shrinks small-sample teams toward their confederation mean — helpful for nations with few recent competitive fixtures. Slower to fit but better-calibrated on the tails.
Bayesian stacking
Optimises simplex weights (w_elo, w_dc, w_hp) to maximise the leave-one-out log-score across a walk-forward backtest (Yao et al. 2018). The result is a weighted average of the three component models' probabilities, then isotonic-calibrated. Adds no extra features — just learns which component to trust more from historical accuracy.
Ensemble (published)
Equal-weight average of all three component models, followed by per-class isotonic regression calibration fitted on 24 months of walk-forward out-of-fold predictions. This is the probability published on the site. The uniform mean is deliberately simple — it avoids overfitting to the stacking weights' training window.

Three independent component models feed two combination strategies. The uniform ensemble is the published probability; Bayesian stacking uses learned weights. Amber bars flag >5pp divergence from the published number. Full methodology

Probability decomposition (transparency surface)

  • Baseline ensemble — P(South Korea win)40.1%
  • + Lineup contribution0.0pp
  • + Style-matchup contribution0.0pp
  • Published P(South Korea win)40.1%
South Korea
40.1%
Draw
26.5%
Czech Republic
33.4%

Decomposition of the published P(South Korea win) into the calibrated- baseline plus contributions from the §2.3 expected-XI lineup delta and the §2.7 style-matchup interaction. The §2.7 roadmap is explicit that style effects are second-order to team strength — single-digit-percentage P(win) shifts on extreme style matchups, near-zero on balanced ones. We surface the decomposition for transparency even when the contributions are small; the baseline carries the prediction. Methodology: /docs/methodology.

For this fixture both contributions round to under 0.05pp — the fitted style-matchup pair effect is in the small-magnitude regime the model expects to dominate.

Head-to-head history

DateCompetitionVenueScoreResultxG
11 Jun 2026FIFA World CupNZapopan21W
5 Jun 2016FriendlyAPrague21W
15 Aug 2001FriendlyADrnovice05L
27 May 1998FriendlyHSeoul22D

South Korea vs Czech Republic, every senior international meeting in the martj42 results dataset (score from South Korea's perspective; H/A/N = home/away/neutral).

Latest news & match context

Team news

No recent headlines for South Korea or Czech Republic.

Match conditions
Stage:
Group A · Matchday 1
Date:
11 Jun
Availability

South Korea

South Korea come in at close to full strength.

Czech Republic

Czech Republic come in at close to full strength.

What it means

South Korea and Czech Republic both come in at close to full strength, so the forecast rests on baseline team strength rather than late team-news swings.

Availability from the predicted squads and injury feed; forecast adjustments from the model's own decomposition. See /docs/methodology/.

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