Coach Hong Myung-bo of the national soccer team will soon announce the A-match list in October, which will be the biggest challenge to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Korea and China.
The Korea Football Association announced at 11 a.m. on the 30th at the Korea Football Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul, that head coach Hong Myung-bo will reveal the list of players to play in two consecutive games against Jordan (away) and Iraq (home) in Group B of the third qualifying round for the World Cup next month.
Korea had one win and one draw in two final qualifying matches that began in September. The team drew a scoreless tie at home with Palestine, which was considered the weakest team in the group, raising concerns. Still, it won 3-1 in away matches in Oman, and is currently ranking second in the group.
They will face a grave challenge. In this preliminary match, Jordan and Iraq, who are expected to compete with South Korea for the top spot in the group, will meet in succession. Jordan is not an easy target as the team suffered a painful defeat in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup, which was hosted by Jurgen Klinsmann earlier this year. Iraq also has the potential to defeat Japan at the Asian Cup. 먹튀검증
Coach Hong Myung-bo remained vigilant ahead of the two consecutive games, which will pose the biggest obstacle to increasing wins in the early stages of the qualifying round. In an interview with FIFA, he said, “Middle East away games are always tricky, so advancing to the World Cup finals is by no means easy.” Of course, he has confidence. “I have confidence that we will continue to be the best team in Asia,” Hong said.
The national team has more players than ever playing in major European leagues, including captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), and Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord). Coach Hong Myung-bo said, “Korean players are equipped with weapons that can compete not only in Asia but also in the world.”
Coach Hong Myung-bo, who will prove his team name, will prepare a new list on Wednesday. At the September A-match, he has appointed four new faces: Yang Min-hyuk, Hwang Moon-ki (Gangwon FC), Choi Woo-jin (Incheon United), and Lee Han-beom (Mit Willan) as key players. Attention is focusing on what new faces Hong Myung-bo, who is preparing for the future as well as the current one, will prepare for Jordan and Iraq, which are relatively strong.
Meanwhile, Hong Myung-bo will appear with Chung Mong-kyu, president of the Korea Football Association, at a questioning session on pending issues at the National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee. Lawmakers at the committee called for witnesses to appear in order to address the current state of operation of the Korea Football Association and the lack of fairness that arose in the process of appointing Hong. Hong is expected to express his position on issues surrounding him.