Tomorrow, June 12, the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off. For Korean fans, it arrives at a complicated moment — a mix of genuine excitement, deep frustration, and questions about how the national team got here. Here is the full story: how the World Cup was born, why CHZZK is now streaming it, and what Koreans actually feel going into June 12.
How the FIFA World Cup Started
The World Cup didn't begin as a grand vision. It began as a problem.
In the early 20th century, the Olympic Games served as the top international competition for football. However, Olympic rules only allowed amateur players to compete — excluding many of the world's best professional talent. That limitation led to growing tension over how the sport should be represented on the global stage.
FIFA President Jules Rimet helped organize an international tournament in 1930, after football was dropped from the 1932 Olympics program in Los Angeles due to low popularity and disagreement between FIFA and the IOC over amateur player status.
The first FIFA World Cup was held in Uruguay from July 13 to July 30, 1930. A total of 13 teams participated from Europe, North America, and South America. Uruguay, celebrating their country's 100th year of independence, hosted and became the first World Cup champion, defeating Argentina 4-2 in the final before 68,000 fans in Montevideo.
There were no qualifiers for 1930 — it was an invitational tournament. Every FIFA-affiliated country was invited to play. It was the first and last time in World Cup history that no qualifying matches took place.
From 13 teams in 1930, the tournament grew to 16, then 24, then 32 teams. The 2026 edition expands to 48 teams for the first time — the largest World Cup in history, with 104 matches played across the United States, Canada, and Mexico over 39 days.
Korea's World Cup History
South Korea has one of the most storied World Cup histories in Asia. The country first qualified in 1954 and has participated in every World Cup since 1986 — one of the longest consecutive qualifying streaks in the tournament.
The high point came in 2002, when Korea co-hosted the tournament with Japan and made an improbable run to the semi-finals — defeating Spain and Italy on the way. An estimated 20 million Koreans watched the semi-final against Germany in the streets. It remains the greatest moment in Korean football history.
2010 saw Korea reach the round of 16. 2022 in Qatar — Korea vs Portugal in the group stage and the round of 16 against Brazil — drew over 11 million Korean viewers for the opening match alone.
2026 is Son Heung-min's last World Cup. The captain has made that clear. For a generation of Korean fans who grew up watching Son at Tottenham and in the national team jersey, these three group stage matches carry weight beyond just results.
Why CHZZK Is Streaming the World Cup
This is the most significant change in Korean football broadcasting in decades.
JTBC secured the exclusive Korean broadcasting rights for the 2026 World Cup. Negotiations with MBC and SBS broke down — only KBS reached an agreement. Online streaming rights went to Naver's CHZZK, which will exclusively stream all 104 matches online.
Korean national team matches are free to watch but limited to standard quality (480p). High quality (1080p) requires a paid Naver Plus membership. This is the first World Cup in Korean history where most matches are not freely available on public television.
CHZZK became the exclusive online broadcaster through a strategic partnership between JTBC and Naver. For Naver, this is part of a broader push to establish CHZZK as Korea's dominant sports streaming platform — building on LCK exclusivity, Winter Olympics streaming, and now the World Cup.
An industry official said the World Cup represents a turning point for CHZZK — whether it can establish itself as a real-time hub for Naver Sports content beyond just a streaming platform. If large-scale traffic handling and secondary content spread work together, CHZZK's presence in the sports broadcasting market could grow significantly even after the World Cup ends.
What Koreans Actually Feel Going Into June 12
The mood is complicated. It is not 2002 or even 2022.
Negative public sentiment toward the Korea Football Association has been building. The JTBC monopoly over most matches — with MBC and SBS locked out — triggered public anger. The Winter Olympics earlier this year, also behind a JTBC paywall, passed with notably less public excitement than previous years. Commentators are warning that the same could happen with the World Cup.
The KFA itself has faced criticism over team management decisions, the selection process, and what many Koreans see as a disconnect between the association's leadership and the fanbase.
Yet despite all of this — Korea is still Korea. Red Devils (붉은악마) street cheering events are confirmed for Gwanghwamun Square and Yeouido in Seoul for all three Korean matches. The TV broadcast team features fan favourites — JTBC with caster Bae Sung-jae and analyst Park Ji-sung, KBS with analyst Lee Young-pyo. The emotional investment in Son Heung-min's farewell run is real regardless of KFA politics.
The 480p free quality cap on CHZZK is a genuine grievance. Koreans are used to watching the World Cup in full HD on public television for free. Being asked to pay for 1080p on a streaming app for matches they previously watched for free on KBS or MBC has created real frustration — and real demand for alternatives.
How to Save World Cup Moments Before They Disappear
CHZZK VODs go up after each match and get removed within days. Co-stream VODs from popular streamers disappear even faster — sometimes within hours.
Vodloader lets you download any CHZZK VOD directly — no Korean account needed, works from anywhere. After each match, paste the VOD URL into Vodloader and download the full match before it disappears.
For the Korea vs Czech Republic match tomorrow — download the VOD within 24 hours of the final whistle.