▲ Football fans watch K-pop group Cortis' performance at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul before cheering for South Korea's national football team ahead of their match against Czechia starting at 11 a.m. on June 12, 2026. (Yonhap)

(World Cup) S Korean fans-street cheering

(World Cup) Fans gather at Gwanghwamun to cheer for S. Korea in World Cup match against Czechia

SEOUL, June 12 (Yonhap) -- Hundreds of fans were gathered at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square on Friday to cheer for South Korea in its 2026 World Cup opening Group A match against the Czech Republic.

With the game scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m., around 500 people had come to the plaza in central Seoul as of 9 a.m., according to an unofficial police estimate. Many were carrying umbrellas to beat the heat, as the day's highest temperature was forecast to reach around 30 C.

Street cheering has become a trend and phenomenon frequently seen at major social events since South Korea co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup, when hundreds of thousands or even millions of people filled the streets of major cities, including Gwanghwamun Square, to cheer for the national team.

"It's my first time street cheering, so I am really excited," said 37-year-old office worker Seo Young-shin, who had taken the day off for the occasion. "I love the World Cup so much. Today is the most important match, so I hope we win."

Seo came together with two neighborhood friends from Incheon, west of Seoul, and the three were all sporting face paint featuring the South Korean national flag.

Another office worker, surnamed Woo, said he took the morning off and had to return to the office in the afternoon. He predicted a 3-0 victory for South Korea.

Organizers of the watch party -- the Korea Football Association, KT Corp. and the Red Devils national team supporters group -- estimated that up to 6,000 people could visit the square for the event.

Some, apparently, came to watch the specially invited K-pop group Cortis perform as part of the watch party.

"I came to see Cortis, but I will stay and cheer until the end," a 19-year-old college student said.

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