Hong Myung‑bo’s South Korea national team is set to hold its last‑minute live test ahead of the World Cup in North and Central America. It was not an easy choice. The coaching staff had hoped to face a strong opponent, but reality dictated otherwise. In the end, the squad focused on the most critical objective: acclimatizing to high altitude.

The Korea Football Association announced on May 12 that the national team will play back‑to‑back friendly matches in the United States against Trinidad & Tobago and El Salvador. According to local time, the team meets Trinidad & Tobago on May 30, followed by El Salvador on June 3. In Korean time, the matches kick off at 10:00 AM on May 31 and 10:00 AM on June 4, respectively.

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Both matches will be held at South Field of Brigham Young University (BYU) in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are part of the team’s pre‑World Cup camp schedule.

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The key to these friendlies is not merely about wins or losses. The Korean squad is concentrating on adapting to the high‑altitude environment of Mexico and sharpening tactical completeness. Indeed, South Korea will play its first two Group A matches in Guadalajara, Mexico, a city located at about 1,571 meters above sea level. The pre‑camp base, Salt Lake City, sits at roughly 1,460 meters, allowing the team to simulate similar conditions as closely as possible.

The Korea Football Association admitted the process was fraught with difficulties. Coach Hong Myung‑bo had internally expressed a desire to face “at least one strong team.” However, the problem was that Group A teams involved in the World Cup were struggling to schedule friendlies due to tournament logistics. With an expanded number of participating nations leading to a longer competition schedule, Group A, which starts its group stage earliest, found itself unable to secure matches against strong teams – except for host Mexico. The Czech Republic and South Africa are also playing against Guatemala and Nicaragua, respectively.

Furthermore, South Korea has an early group stage schedule, which means the team must travel to Utah early for friendlies, leaving few opponents willing to make the journey. Given that the team will face a demanding schedule in high‑altitude conditions from the outset, local adaptation has become an essential task.

The chosen opponents, Trinidad & Tobago and El Salvador, are both members of CONCACAF. Neither qualified for this World Cup finals, but they are able to maintain normal match fitness in the United States, which was a key consideration.

South Korea has faced each team once before. Against Trinidad & Tobago, they drew 1‑1 at Seoul World Cup Stadium in 2004. Against El Salvador, they also drew 1‑1 at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in 2023.

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Coach Hong Myung‑bo now has the challenge of evaluating match performance, managing fitness, and ensuring high‑altitude adaptation all at once. The team will announce the final 26‑man World Cup squad on May 16. After that, they will depart for Salt Lake City on May 18 to begin full‑scale local adaptation training.

Following roughly two weeks of altitude adaptation and the two friendlies, the squad will move to Guadalajara, Mexico, where their World Cup base camp is set up, on June 5 local time.