South Korea and Czechia will field a combined seven Bundesliga players in their Group A match at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico. The fixture, the second in the group, follows Mexico’s opening day victory over South Africa. Five of those players are in the starting lineups for Thursday’s encounter.
Players with current or past Bundesliga experience include South Korea’s Son Heung-min, who previously played for Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen, and Paik Seung-ho of Darmstadt. Hwang Hee-chan of RB Leipzig also starts for South Korea. On the Czechia side, Matěj Kovář of Bayer Leverkusen is in goal, while Vladimír Darida, formerly of Freiburg and Hertha Berlin, features in midfield, alongside Hoffenheim’s David Jurásek.
Czechia manager Miroslav Koubek has selected Hoffenheim defenders Robin Hranáč and Vladimír Coufal in his starting eleven, with Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick leading the attack. Adam Hložek, who moved from Leverkusen to Hoffenheim in 2024, is among the substitutes. For South Korea, Kim Min-jae and Lee Jae-sung are in the starting lineup, while Jens Castrop, born in Düsseldorf and currently at Borussia Mönchengladbach, is on the bench.
Kim Min-jae’s future in the Bundesliga is currently uncertain, with Bayern Munich reportedly informing him he is free to seek a new club. In contrast, Lee Jae-sung recently committed his future to Mainz, signing a contract extension in February. The presence of so many players currently or formerly in the German top flight highlights the Bundesliga’s growing international reach and its role in developing talent for the global stage. This match provides a showcase for the league’s influence on youth football.
South Korea’s starting lineup is: S. G. Kim; Kim Min-jae, H. B. Lee, K. H. Lee; Seol, Hwang, Paik, T.-S. Lee; K. I. Lee, Lee Jae-sung; Son ©. Czechia will start with: Kovář; Hranáč, Chaloupek, Krejčí ©; Zelený, Sojka, Souček, Coufal; Šulc, Provod; Schick.
