K-culture to take center stage in Mexico for 2026 World Cup

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Ministry of Foreign Affairs will host a series of Korean cultural events in Mexico during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, using the tournament as a platform to promote Korean culture to global audiences.

The events are organized through the Korean Embassy in Mexico City and the Korean Cultural Center in Mexico, and are being coordinated under the K-Initiative Council, a standing interagency consultative body that links Korean overseas missions with relevant government ministries.

Korea's national football team will play all three of its group-stage matches on Mexican soil — two in Guadalajara, in the western state of Jalisco, and one in Monterrey, in the northern state of Nuevo Leon — giving the events added local relevance.

The festival is organized around four themes: "Connected by Passion," "Connected by Light," "Connected by Gaze" and "Connected by Rhythm." The centerpiece event, "Korea Day" (Dia de Corea), is scheduled for June 6 in Zapopan, a city in the Guadalajara metropolitan area in Jalisco state.

The event will bring together Korean