Korea to train in Salt Lake City before World Cup

Members of the Korean starting lineup for a friendly football match against Austria pose before the kickoff at Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna, March 31 (local time). Yonhap

Korea will set up their training camp ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Salt Lake City in the United States in May, in preparation for group stage matches to be played in the high altitudes of Mexico.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced the national team's World Cup training plans Thursday. Coached by Hong Myung-bo, Korea will set up shop in Salt Lake City, which sits 1,300 meters above sea level, in May and will work out at facilities for the Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake and the University of Utah.

At the World Cup kicking off in June, Korea will play their first two Group A matches in Guadalajara, a Mexican city located some 1,500 meters above sea level. The KFA said it considered the national team's need to get acclimated to playing at a high altitude before deciding on Salt Lake City.

"During our selection process, we visited several candidate sites for closer inspection and consulted experts in sports science and environment acclimation," the KFA added.

That Salt Lake City is in the same time zone as Guadalajara with daylight saving time in effect also factored into the decision, the KFA added.

Coach Hong will announce his World Cup squad on May 16, and he and a select number of players will depart for Salt Lake City two days later. World Cup-bound players based in overseas leagues will report to camp individually, the KFA said.

Korea will also play two friendly matches during their U.S. camp, with the opponents and fixtures to be determined later.

Korea's first Group A match will be against Czechia on June 11, and the KFA said the national team will travel to Guadalajara six days prior to the opener. During the tournament, Korea will have their base camp in Guadalajara.