Hong Myung-bo will announce the World Cup qualifying list for June tomorrow
Hong Myung-bo will announce the World Cup qualifying list for June tomorrow
Blog Article
Coach Hong Myung-bo, who leads the Korean men's national soccer team, will announce the Taegeuk Warriors to play in the A-match in June tomorrow.
Coach Hong Myung-bo will reveal the list of players to play in the 9th Group B match against Iraq and the 10th match against Kuwait in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Korea and China at 11 a.m. on the 26th at the soccer center in Sinmun-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
South Korea will have a total of two matches during this June's A-match period.
After playing against Iraq, ranked 59th in FIFA, at 3:15 a.m. on the 6th of next month at Basra International Stadium in Basra, Iraq, it will move to Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 10th and face Kuwait, ranked 134th.
Due to grass problems, they played at Goyang Stadium and Suwon World Cup Stadium in the second consecutive A match in March, but fortunately, the World Cup qualifying round was completed at Seoul World Cup Stadium, the "Korean soccer holy site."
South Korea can secure second place in Group B with just one point in the two consecutive games and achieve the great achievement of advancing to the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time.
South Korea currently leads Group B with four wins and four draws (16 points) unbeaten.
The first opponent, Iraq, is in third place with three wins, three draws and two losses (12 points), while Kuwait remains at the bottom of the group with five draws and three losses (5 points).
In the third qualifying round, the first and second places in each group will go straight to the finals.
As a result, Iraq is expected to do its best not only to beat second-place Jordan (13 points) but also to narrow the gap with South Korea.
South Korea won 3-2 against Iraq in its first showdown in October last year.
Iraq recently took the helm of Australian coach Graham Arnold, who was on the final list of candidates for the South Korean head coach before the appointment of Hong Myung-bo.
After replacing Jesus Casas of Spain due to poor performance, Arnold was appointed as the successor.
Arnold, who has led the Australian national team twice in the past, seeks a turnaround against South Korea.
Major European players who joined the A-match in March are expected to join the national team in June.
Key defender Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) and key midfielder Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) are expected to be called by head coach Hong.
In particular, the situation of 'captain' Son Heung-min (Tottenham) is good.
It hasn't been long since he returned from a foot injury, but he has put on a psychological burden by winning the championship 15 years after his professional debut.
Son Heung-min's team, Tottenham of the English Premier League (EPL), beat Manchester United of the EPL on the 22nd to win the UEFA Europa League (UEL) in the 2024-2025 season.
Tottenham won the trophy for the first time in 17 years since the English League Cup in the 2007-2008 season, and Son Heung-min won the trophy for the first time since his professional debut.
Domestic groups are also not expected to change much.
"Late Bloom" Joo Min-kyu (Daejeon Hana Citizen) has been playing steadily since he left the K League 1 Ulsan HD and wore the Daejeon uniform. Although his scoring pace has been low recently, he is still in the top scoring position in the league.
Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan), the goalkeeper, is still showing off his team's amazing defense.
There is an open possibility that Jeonbuk Hyundai striker Jeon Jin-woo, who was the first to reach double-digit goals in Hana Bank's K League 1 2025, will be selected as a surprise.
Meanwhile, after the announcement of the list, Hong Myung-bo will convene at Incheon International Airport on June 2 and leave for Iraq immediately.
According to an official from the Korea Football Association, he will travel to Iraq by chartered plane due to flight problems. 메이저사이트
Led by head coach Hong, domestic players and overseas players whose team schedules ended early will leave for the main camp.
Overseas players whose team schedules finish late are said to plan to join locally.