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    Why is 2026 World Cup final in New Jersey, not Mexico's iconic Estadio Azteca?

    The final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will not be played at Mexico's iconic Estadio Azteca — widely regarded as one of football's greatest venues— but at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just outside New York City. At first glance, it seems like a surprising choice. Azteca has already hosted two World Cup finals. It witnessed Pelé lifting the trophy and Diego Maradona's legendary "Hand of God" goal, making it a living monument to World Cup history. It is also one of international football's most intimidating venues. Mexico has held 90 home internationals there, compiling a remarkable record of 70 wins, 17 draws and just three defeats. So why did FIFA choose MetLife Stadium instead? The choice of venue for a World Cup final is never based simply on who has the biggest stadium. It represents the face a host nation wants to present to the world — a space that encapsulates the message it hopes to deliver. Where the final is held often reveals what each World Cup values most. Brazil staged two World Cup finals (1950 and 2014) at the Maracanã, a stadium that embodies both

    3 MIN READBy Hankookilbo
    Why is 2026 World Cup final in New Jersey, not Mexico's iconic Estadio Azteca?
  • Sports

    Inside Korea's fiercest football derbies: Local rivalries fuel K League's passion

    6 MIN READBy Lee Hae-rin
    Inside Korea's fiercest football derbies: Local rivalries fuel K League's passion
  • Sports

    Defending champion Argentina reaches World Cup final by beating England 2-1

    2 MIN READBy AP
    Defending champion Argentina reaches World Cup final by beating England 2-1
  • Sports

    Son Heung-min returns to LAFC with big smile on his face

    2 MIN READBy Xportsnews
    Son Heung-min returns to LAFC with big smile on his face
  • Sports

    World Taekwondo sends federation flag into orbit ahead of 2027 world championships

    2 MIN READBy Jhoo Dong-chan
    World Taekwondo sends federation flag into orbit ahead of 2027 world championships
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Sports

Korea, Mexico goalless at halftime

ZAPOPAN, Mexico — Korea and co-host Mexico went scoreless in the first half of their Group A battle at the FIFA World Cup in western Mexico on Thursday. The teams traded some jabs without either side landing a big blow in the opening 45 minutes at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan. The winner of this match will win Group A with one match to spare and book a ticket to the knockout stage. Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo made one lineup change from the previous match, with wingback Kim Moon-hwan drawing in for Lee Tae-seok. Seol Young-woo, who played as the right back against Czechia, slid over to left, with Kim taking over on the right side. Goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu, who made some match-saving stops against Czechia, was once again the first-choice custodian. Lee Gi-hyuk, Kim Min-jae and Lee Han-beom started their second straight match together in front of Kim Seung-gyu in the back-three system. Hwang In-beom, named the Man of the Match against Czechia with a goal and an assist, started in midfield with Paik Seung-ho. Lee Jae-sung and Lee Kang-in were the attacking midfielders behind captain S

Jun 19, 2026By Yonhap
Korea, Mexico goalless at halftime
Sports

Fans gather at Gwanghwamun to root for Korea in World Cup match against Mexico

Thousands of fans were gathered in Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square on Friday to cheer for their national football team in its group stage match against Mexico at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. With the game scheduled to kick off at 10 a.m., around 2,300 people had arrived at the plaza in central Seoul as of 9 a.m., according to an unofficial police estimate. Fans waved and took photos whenever they appeared on the electronic display board. Street cheering has become a cultural phenomenon in Korea since it co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup, when millions filled major city streets to support the national team. "I stayed up all night and I am exhausted, but I plan to watch the game until the final whistle before heading home to sleep," 19-year-old Kwon Hyuk-woo said. Fans offered differing score predictions. Lee Seung-jun, 36, expected a 3-0 victory driven by Korean captain Son Heung-min's hat trick. Bae Jun-gi, 19, forecast a tie against a tough Mexican squad, adding, "But I would still be thrilled if we won." Mexican fans wrapped in their national flags also joined the crowd. "I found about the street

Jun 19, 2026By Yonhap
Fans gather at Gwanghwamun to root for Korea in World Cup match against Mexico
Sports

Son Heung-min eyes history vs. Mexico

ZAPOPAN, Mexico — Korean captain Son Heung-min is in the starting lineup for his second straight match at the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Mexico as he takes aim at a piece of history. Son will be the striker against Mexico in the teams' second Group A match at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan, western Mexico, for the 7 p.m. kickoff. It will begin 10 a.m. Friday in Korea. Son is a goal away from becoming Korea's all-time World Cup leading scorer with four. He is currently tied with two former players, Ahn Jung-hwan and Park Ji-sung. Son had a slew of chances but ultimately didn't find the back of the net in a 2-1 victory over Czechia last week. Oh Hyeon-gyu, who netted the go-ahead goal over Czechia after replacing Son in the second half, will begin his second straight contest on the bench. Head coach Hong Myung-bo made one change from the lineup that started against Czechia, with wingback Kim Moon-hwan replacing Lee Tae-seok. Seol Young-woo, who played on the right side in last week's match, will slide over to the left side as Kim takes over on the right. The winner of this match will be the

Jun 19, 2026By Yonhap
Son Heung-min eyes history vs. Mexico
Sports

Korea, Mexico aim to secure World Cup knockout berths

LOS ANGELES — Mexico and Korea will aim to punch their ticket to the World Cup knockout rounds on Thursday when they meet in Guadalajara knowing that a win would guarantee a last 32 berth. The Group A rivals head into the fixture at the Estadio Akron fresh from victories over South Africa and the Czech Republic in their opening games last week. In Thursday's first game of the second round of fixtures at this 48-team World Cup, Africa drew 1-1 with the Czech Republic. Teboho Mokoena slotted home a penalty to grab a point for a much-improved South Africa team, from the one beaten by Mexico, after Michal Sadilek had put the Czechs ahead in the sixth minute in Atlanta. The point will be a relief for both countries but they are likely to be left hoping to be one of the eight best third-placed teams from the 12 groups in order to progress to the knockout stage. Only the first two teams in each group are guaranteed passage into the last 32. Co-hosts Mexico are bracing for a significantly tougher test against Korea than South Africa provided in the tournament's opening fixture when they had two

Jun 19, 2026By AFP
Korea, Mexico aim to secure World Cup knockout berths
Sports

Lotte Giants sign Japanese pitcher Iimura as new Asian quota player

The Lotte Giants announced Thursday they have signed Japanese pitcher Shota Iimura as their new Asian quota player. In a corresponding move, the Giants released their ex-Asian quota hurler Masaya Kyoyama. Iimura, 28, will make $70,000 for the rest of the season. The right-hander has spent time with Japanese corporate club KMG Holdings and then with Taichung Taiwan Life in the semi-pro Taiwanese league. The Giants said Iimura can touch 153 kph with his four-seam fastball and his arsenal also includes a slider, curveball, two-seam fastball and splitter. Iimura posted a league-leading 0.93 ERA over 29 innings in the spring league with his Taiwanese club, the Giants said. The Giants ranked ninth among 10 teams in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) through Wednesday's action at 26-39-1 (wins-losses-ties). They have the third-highest ERA in the league at 4.74, and their bullpen ERA is the worst at 5.53. Starting this year, the KBO allowed clubs to sign a player from an Asian country or Australia, in addition to the usual cohort of three foreign-born players. Kyoyama only pitched 10 2/3 innings

Jun 18, 2026By Yonhap
Lotte Giants sign Japanese pitcher Iimura as new Asian quota player
Sports

Korea can win Group A with win over Mexico, help from others

ZAPOPAN, Mexico — Korea can become the first team to win their group at this year's FIFA World Cup by beating Mexico this week and getting some help from other teams. Korea and Mexico will go into their Group A showdown Thursday at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan, western Mexico, knotted at three points each. Mexico, who beat South Africa 2-0 last week, currently occupy the top spot thanks to their superior goal difference, with Korea in second place after defeating Czechia 2-1 to begin their campaign. For Korea, a combination of their win and a win or a draw by Czechia against South Africa on Thursday will secure them the top seed in Group A, regardless of the outcome from Korea's final group stage match against South Africa next week. In this scenario, Korea will improve to six points and Mexico will remain at three points. Czechia will either grab three points or one point. Even if Korea and Mexico both finish with six points at the conclusion of the group stage, Korea will hold the tiebreak edge over Mexico by virtue of their victory in Thursday's meeting. The head-to-head record be

Jun 18, 2026By Yonhap
Korea can win Group A with win over Mexico, help from others
Sports

Popular TV analyst sees Son Heung-min as key player vs. Mexico

Lee Young-pyo, a FIFA World Cup hero turned analyst, predicted Wednesday that Korea captain Son Heung-min will play a crucial role in the Taegeuk Warriors' upcoming match against Mexico. Lee, who provides commentary for KBS, used data from Korea's 2-1 win over Czechia in their Group A opener last week to build his case. "Son Heung-min had 40 percent of Korea's shot attempts against Czechia," Lee told reporters at Chivas Verde Valle in Zapopan, western Mexico, where the national team trained for Thursday's match against the World Cup co-host. "Son reached 35 kilometers per hour with his top sprint speed, and it was the fifth-best mark in the entire tournament. The top four players were all in their early 20s and Son was the only one in the top five in his 30s." Son, who will turn 34 in July, faced persistent questions about his decline in the weeks leading up to the tournament. He arrived in Mexico not having scored in league play for Los Angeles Football Club this season. Son had some good looks against Czechia but failed to find the back of the net before being subbed out for forward Oh

Jun 18, 2026By Yonhap
Popular TV analyst sees Son Heung-min as key player vs. Mexico
Sports

SF Giants' Lee Jung-hoo ends homer drought after suspended game resumes

Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants has gone deep for the first time in more than a month. Lee belted his fourth home run of the season to help the Giants defeat the Atlanta Braves 7-2 at Truist Park in Atlanta on Wednesday (local time). The game had been suspended due to rain Tuesday and resumed the following day in the bottom of the second inning, with the Giants up 3-2. The Korean outfielder had driven in the game's first run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the first Tuesday. Then in his second trip to the plate after Wednesday's resumption, Lee popped out to the Braves' Korean shortstop, Kim Ha-seong, to lead off the top of the third. In the fifth, Lee went back-to-back with Rafael Devers, following Devers' solo shot with a solo blast of his own off left-handed pitcher Dylan Dodd. Lee hammered a first-pitch sinker that hung over the middle of the plate and drove it 373 feet into the seats in right field at a launch angle of 23 degrees. The ball left Lee's bat at 102.6 mph. It was Lee's first homer since his inside-the-park home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 14. The

Jun 18, 2026By Yonhap
SF Giants' Lee Jung-hoo ends homer drought after suspended game resumes
Sports

Korean midfielder happy to draw attention from opponents

ZAPOPAN, Mexico — After being named the Player of the Match in a 2-1 victory over Czechia last week by recording a goal and an assist, Korean midfielder Hwang In-beom is expected to draw plenty of attention from Mexico in their upcoming match. And it suits Hwang just fine. "I hope they pay a lot of attention to me," Hwang said Wednesday at the prematch press conference at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan, western Mexico, the site of the Group A match showdown between the two countries at 7 p.m. Thursday (local time), or 10 a.m. Friday (Korean time). "We have many players that are better than I am, and they will end up getting opportunities if the focus is on me," Hwang added. "I have faith that our attackers will capitalize on their chances. The important thing for us is to execute our plans to the best of our abilities." Korea went down in the second half against Czechia before Hwang netted the equalizer and then set up the go-ahead goal. But Hwang said he isn't content with just winning the first match. "I tried to forget about the first win as quickly as possible and instead focus on t

Jun 18, 2026By Yonhap
Korean midfielder happy to draw attention from opponents
Sports

Korea coach voices regret over drone incident

ZAPOPAN, Mexico — Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo on Wednesday voiced his regret over a recent appearance of a drone at his team's FIFA World Cup training site during a session being held behind closed doors. Hong ran a 90-minute session without any media at Chivas Verde Valle in Zapopan, western Mexico, on Tuesday, two days before Korea's Group A match against Mexico. During the World Cup, teams are typically afforded one day to train behind closed doors, and Hong picked Tuesday to work on his tactics without prying eyes. While the players were warming up at the start of the session, a national team security official spotted a drone above the training ground. The official notified the Mexican military forces on duty at Chivas Verde Valle, and they intercepted the drone and brought it down. According to the Korea Football Association (KFA), two men believed to be the operators picked up their drone and fled the scene before the Mexican authorities could catch them. The KFA has asked the local police to investigate the situation and also notified FIFA of the incident. "I learned of the d

Jun 18, 2026By Yonhap
Korea coach voices regret over drone incident
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