On the morning of the 12th at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. From early morning it was filled with a sea of red. With the opening of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup, citizens gathered one by one at the square to cheer for the Czech Republic match, the South Korea national soccer team's first group stage game.
According to Seoul city data, the real-time population at Gwanghwamun Square was 12,000 to 14,000 at 11 a.m., when the whistle blew to start the game. That is 91.3% higher than the average for the same time over the past month. The crowd cheering on the South Korea national soccer team's good showing was that large.
◇ "I took a half day off and came here"… Gwanghwamun becomes a "red square" for the first time in four years
In front of the large screen set up in the center of the north side of Gwanghwamun Square, citizens wearing Red Devils T-shirts and holding Taegeukgi flags took their seats. Even before kickoff, families, friends, and co-workers stood out as they waved cheering sticks and took photos.
Onstage, the cheering squad continued leading chant practice. Each time the chant "Daehanminguk!" rang out, citizens responded by clapping in time. All around the square, you could also see people draping Taegeukgi flags over their shoulders to take commemorative photos or talk about the match outlook.
A person surnamed Kim, 34, an office worker, said, "It's near my office, so I came out during my lunch break," and added, "The World Cup is really fun only when everyone cheers together. Since it's the first match, I really hope we win."
A passing motorcycle also honked in response to the chants. A, 31, who said a half day off was taken from a workplace in Songpa District, noted, "I'm looking forward to the 1996-line national team players my age—Kim Min-jae, Hwang In-beom, and Hwang Hee-chan—playing well," and added, "I hope the players pour everything into it, even making up for the disappointment of Jo Yu-min, who dropped out due to injury."
◇ Office-district restaurants also cheer while broadcasting the match
Restaurants around the square effectively turned into cheering sections. At a restaurant near Gwanghwamun Square, as lunchtime approached, office workers quickly filled the seats. On the TV mounted on the wall, the South Korea–Czech Republic match was broadcast live, and diners naturally turned their eyes to the screen.
When the South Korea national team created an early first-half chance, exclamations of "Nice!" and "One more time!" burst out inside the restaurant. At decisive shooting moments, many diners froze with their spoons in midair and stared at the screen.
A person surnamed Lee, 29, an office worker who came with co-workers, said, "We were originally just going to check the match status at the office, but everyone said let's go watch, so we came out for lunch," and laughed, "It's lunchtime, but it basically feels like a cheering rally."
Another office worker, a person surnamed Park, 41, said, "It reminded me of the old World Cup street cheering and the atmosphere was great, so I intentionally booked a restaurant with a TV screen," and added, "If a goal goes in, I think the entire restaurant will cheer together."
The national team led by head coach Hong Myung-bo opened the Czech Republic match in a 3-4-3 formation. Son Heung-min (LAFC) stood up front, and Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) planned to rattle the opposing defense from the second attacking line.