Team Korea travel to site of Group A finale

Son Heung-min, captain of Korean national football team, enters a hotel in Monterrey, Meixco, Sunday (local time). Yonhap

MONTERREY, Mexico — Korea arrived at the site of their final group stage match of the ongoing FIFA World Cup in northeastern Mexico on Sunday.

Korean players and their staff checked into their hotel in Monterrey, greeted by dozens of fans at the entrance.

Fans yelled players' names as they entered the hotel, with captain Son Heung-min drawing the loudest cheers.

The Taegeuk Warriors had been training near Guadalajara, south of Monterrey, for the past two-plus weeks, as they played their first two Group A matches there. Korea opened the competition with a 2-1 win over Czechia on June 11 but then lost to the home team Mexico 1-0 last Thursday.

Mexico have already clinched the top spot in Group A with six points. Korea are in second place with three points, and they can join Mexico in the round of 32 with a win or a draw against South Africa at 7 p.m. Wednesday (local time) at Estadio Monterrey, or 10 a.m. Thursday (Korean time).

Korea may also sneak into the knockouts as one of the eight best third-place teams, if they lose to South Africa, but Mexico defeat or have a draw against Czechia on Wednesday.

However, if both Korea and Mexico lose on the final day, Korea will be eliminated.

Koreans will be training in hotter and more humid conditions in Monterrey after enjoying cooler settings in Guadalajara. Estadio Monterrey is expected to be among the hottest open-air stadiums at the tournament, which is being co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States.