South Korea arrive ranked 23rd in Sportsvyn's Power Rankings with a score of 6.05, carrying a 26-man squad built around a heavily loaded attacking pool — eight attackers, including Son Heung-Min, against just six defenders. The nine-midfielder roster adds further depth in the center of the pitch, leaving the front line unsettled on paper with eight attackers competing for limited starting roles. That attacker-heavy construction, set against a relatively thin defensive line, is the defining structural tension South Korea carry into Group A.

The group-stage opener falls on June 11 against the Czech Republic — ranked 31st with a score of 5.00, below South Korea's own mark — at Estadio Akron. The match begins to answer whether the eight-attacker pool resolves into a coherent starting shape, and whether the six-defender back line holds its structure against a side rated lower in the Power Rankings. With Son Heung-Min anchoring the attacking options and the midfield nine offering tactical flexibility, the opener poses one central question: does the attacker-heavy roster translate into a functional, defensively stable eleven?