As part of preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, one of the final warm-up fixtures for Hong Myung-bo’s Korea Republic side has been confirmed, with El Salvador named as the opponent.
The El Salvador Football Federation announced via its official social media channels, including X, on the 5th that they will face Korea in an international friendly. The match is scheduled to take place on June 3 at 5:00 PM (local time) at America First Field in Utah, United States. El Salvador stated that the fixture will also serve as part of their preparations for the CONCACAF Nations League, which begins in September.
Korea will act as the host nation, having invited El Salvador to a location near their training base as part of their World Cup preparations. Previously, the Korea Football Association confirmed that Hong Myung-bo and the national team will depart in stages from the 18th for a pre-tournament training camp in Salt Lake City, Utah. After approximately two weeks of training there, the squad will travel to Guadalajara, Mexico, the base camp for the World Cup finals.
The decision to hold the training camp in Salt Lake City is largely due to its altitude of approximately 1,460 meters above sea level. Guadalajara, where Korea will play two of their group-stage matches, sits at around 1,570 meters. By training at a similar elevation, the team aims to adapt physiologically—improving factors such as hemoglobin levels in the blood—as well as adjust to subtle changes in ball trajectory caused by lower air pressure at high altitude.
However, there are concerns over whether the altitude training will be sufficiently effective. The training base in Salt Lake City is about 110 meters lower than the match venue in Guadalajara. Furthermore, America First Field, where the friendly against El Salvador will be played, is situated at approximately 1,356 meters above sea level—around 100 meters lower than the training base. This means the team will be playing at an elevation roughly 200 meters lower than the actual World Cup venue.
While not an absolute benchmark, high altitude is generally considered to begin at 1,500 meters. According to the International Society for Mountain Medicine, the first stage of high altitude ranges from 1,500 to 3,500 meters. Although 1,500 meters may not significantly impact everyday activities, it can affect athletic performance, making acclimatization important. Concerns arise from the fact that, rather than training at or above the target altitude, the announced preparation sites are consistently lower, raising questions about the overall effectiveness of the altitude adaptation strategy.
Meanwhile, the venue for the El Salvador match, America First Field, is also the home stadium of Major League Soccer side Real Salt Lake. Along with the Colorado Rapids, the club is widely regarded as one of the teams that benefit most from high-altitude conditions in MLS.
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