South Korea will wrap up their preparations for the 2026 World Cup with a friendly match against El Salvador at America First Field in Utah on Thursday. This encounter marks the first meeting between the two teams since their 1-1 draw in a friendly in Daejeon back in June 2023. The South Korean squad had a rocky start to their 2026 campaign, suffering a significant 4-0 loss to Ivory Coast during the March international break, followed by a narrow 1-0 defeat to Austria just three days later. However, they bounced back impressively on Sunday, securing a commanding 5-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in their first match on U.S. soil ahead of the World Cup this summer. National star Son Heung-min netted two goals, while Cho Gue-sung and Hwang Hee-chan also contributed to the scoreline, marking South Korea's largest international win since a 7-0 triumph over Singapore in World Cup qualifying in June 2024. The Taegeuk Warriors are set to participate in their 11th consecutive World Cup Finals after an unbeaten qualification campaign, where they recorded 11 wins and five draws from 16 matches, scoring a total of 40 goals. Currently ranked 25th in the FIFA world rankings, South Korea aims to conclude their warm-up matches with a victory over El Salvador before they head into Group A at the World Cup, where they will face co-hosts Mexico, South Africa, and Czechia, starting with Czechia on June 12. Meanwhile, El Salvador continues to seek their first World Cup appearance since 1982, having been eliminated in the third round of the 2026 CONCACAF qualifying. La Selecta struggled in Group A, losing five out of six matches and finishing last, behind Panama, Suriname, and Guatemala, including a 7-0 aggregate defeat in their final two matches against Panama and Suriname.