Lozano expects tough Korea clash as Mexico eyes home advantage

Mexico has already opened its home World Cup with the kind of schedule most hosts would want, and the next test, against Korea Republic in Guadalajara on June 18, is the one that will show whether that edge is enough. Jaime Lozano has cast the matchup as difficult because Korea never gives up, even as Mexico moves through a group stage entirely on home soil.

That is the heart of the tension around this team. Mexico began the tournament on June 11 at Estadio Ciudad de México and will close the first round against Chequia in the capital on June 24, with Korea Republic sandwiched in the middle. The setting favors Mexico, but the opponent is not a formality. Korea Republic has already met Mexico twice at the World Cup, first in France 1998, and the sides have also played twice in friendlies since their classic meeting in Russia 2018, including a 2-2 draw in September 2025.

Lozano’s warning against taking Korea lightly fits that record. A team that has pushed Mexico before, and that has recently held it to a draw, is not the place to treat home advantage as a guarantee. If Mexico wants the second group match to reinforce control of the group, it will need more than crowd support in Guadalajara.

The more delicate question is Guillermo Ochoa. FIFA says the veteran is on course for a sixth World Cup, a historic mark, after Luis Ángel Malagón’s injury in the March 2026 FIFA window opened the door to his recall. Javier Aguirre’s 26-man squad included him, and Ochoa has also hinted that 2026 could be his final tournament. That is where symbolism collides with sporting logic. Starting Ochoa in the third group match would honor his long service to the Selección Mexicana, but it would also risk turning a selection choice into a farewell gesture when Mexico still has points to secure.

For a host playing all three group matches at home, the balance between sentiment and performance matters as much as any tactical plan. Mexico can afford neither nostalgia nor complacency against Korea Republic, and the next two matches will show whether the team treats home advantage as cover for emotion or as a platform for results.