S. Korea coach, player bracing for difficult match vs. Iraq with World Cup berth in sight
With South Korea closing in on a berth in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, head coach Hong Myung-bo is trying to get his charges prepared for a difficult away match against Iraq.
South Korea, world No. 23, will take on 59th-ranked Iraq in their penultimate Group B match in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers. The match kicks off at 9:15 p.m. Thursday at Basra International Stadium in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, or 3:15 a.m. Friday, South Korean time.
South Korea are leading Group B with 16 points, three ahead of Jordan with two matches to go. The top two teams from each of the three groups in this round will punch their tickets to the World Cup, and South Korea will grab one out of Group B with at least a draw against Iraq this week.
Despite the sizable gap between the two nations in the FIFA rankings, Hong predicted a tough challenge for his team.
"I don't think we will have an easy match. There will be challenges in every aspect," Hong said at a prematch presser at Basra International Stadium on Wednesday, according to a video clip released by the Korea Football Association to the South Korean media Thursday morning here. "As their coach, I trust my players. They've done a great job so far, and I expect them to play well tomorrow too. We will try to prepare for the match so that we will be able to grab points."
South Korea defeated Iraq 3-2 at home in their previous meeting in October 2024.
Midfielder Hwang In-beom echoed Hong's sentiment at the presser, and he too voiced confidence in his team's ability to rise to the occasion.
"We've been working hard for this match because our World Cup qualification is at stake," Hwang said. "We are feeling some pressure because we will have to play an away match against a good Iraqi team. But we've been training hard as a team, and if we can show that on the field, then I believe we will be able to come away with a good result."
The Taegeuk Warriors have played three consecutive 1-1 draws, including two against underdogs Oman and Jordan at home in March, when they had a chance to clinch a World Cup spot in front of their own supporters.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
2 hours ago
- Korea Herald
S. Korea coach looking to test young players ahead of World Cup
With South Korea having locked down their World Cup berth early, head coach Hong Myung-bo said Friday he will use the team's one final qualifying match to test young and unproven players. Hong and the rest of the team received a hero's welcome home at Incheon International Airport, just west of Seoul, on Friday evening, some 12 hours after securing their 2026 World Cup ticket by beating Iraq 2-0 in Basra, southern Iraq, in their latest qualifying match. South Korea will compete in their 11th consecutive World Cup, a streak bettered by only Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Italy and Spain. South Korea will host Kuwait in Seoul on Tuesday to wrap up Group B play in the third round of the Asian qualifiers. After grabbing their World Cup spot in a hostile environment, the South Korean players will likely be in for a celebratory night in front of home fans in an otherwise inconsequential match. To Hong, though, the match will still be an important occasion as he hopes to get a closer look at some inexperienced players in a national team setting. "We will try our best in that match. And it's an opportunity for us to test young guys who may be able to play at the World Cup next year," Hong told reporters at the airport. "We won't have too many opportunities like this. It's one thing for those guys to watch from the bench and quite another for them to play." Hong said there is no shortage of options on the current iteration of the squad. Of the 26 players, seven players were born in the 2000s and 14 players have fewer than 10 caps. Five of them didn't have any international appearance prior to the Iraq match, with defender Cho Hyun-taek and midfielder Jeon Jin-woo making their debuts in Basra. "Both on defense and offense, we can send out some young players. I will be talking to my staff on how to go about that plan," Hong added. "From this moment on, everything we do will be geared toward preparing for the World Cup." After the Kuwait match, Hong said he will travel to the United States to watch the FIFA Club World Cup, where his former K League 1 team, Ulsan HD FC, will be the lone South Korean representative. Then in July, South Korea will host the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Championship, followed by friendly matches against the US and Mexico in September. The EAFF tournament has usually featured players based in the domestic K League because it's held in the offseason for European clubs. With the World Cup a year away, though, Hong hinted he may cast a wider net than usual when it comes to selecting players. "For the East Asian tournament, I want to take players who have a chance to play, and help the team at the World Cup and be competitive there," Hong said. "After that event, then I will start getting ready for the September friendlies." With young guns licking their chops, Hong hinted that Son Heung-min, who wasn't on the squad list against Iraq, may be held out next week, too. Son missed about a month earlier this year with a foot injury, before captaining Tottenham Hotspur to the UEFA Europa League title on May 21. He did not play in Spurs' final Premier League match of the season that weekend, and Hong said Son is not fully recovered from the foot trouble. "If we wanted to force the issue, he could have played maybe 20 to 30 minutes. But I don't think it's the right thing to do to the player at this moment," Hong said. "His season is over, and he had a tough one with injuries. We will make a decision on him over the next couple of days, but I don't think we're at a point where we have to push him that hard." Hong thanked South Korean fans for their support while watching the match that kicked off at 3:15 a.m. Friday. With Iraq on the South Korean government's travel ban list due to security risks, no fans made the trip to watch the win in person. Hong admitted he had been concerned about safety issues during the team's stay in Iraq and thanked the South Korean Embassy in Iraq for taking good care of the players.
Korea Herald
11 hours ago
- Korea Herald
S. Korea beats Iraq to qualify for its 11th straight World Cup
2026 FIFA World Cup widely expected to be the last dance for captain Son Heung-min South Korea on Thursday defeated Iraq 2-0 to clinch a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where the team will make its 11th consecutive appearance — likely a last hurrah for its captain Son Heung-min. Kim Jin-gyu and Oh Hyeon-gyu came off the bench to score a goal apiece in the Group B match at Basra International Stadium in Basra, southern Iraq. The two rivals were locked in a stalemate for the first half, but after Iraqi forward Ali Al-Hamadi was sent off for a high foot against Cho Yu-min opportunities opened for the Taegeuk Warriors. With the Koreans applying pressure against the 10 men of Iraq in the second half, Lee Kang-in's pass to Kim led to the first goal of the match at the 63rd-minute mark. Oh, subbed in 15 minutes into the second half, managed to connect to a cross from Jeon Jin-woo for the second goal. The Koreans were not at full strength, with head coach Hong Myung-bo's decision to leave captain Son off the roster, as the Tottenham Hotspur star is still recovering from injury. Another key player, Bayern Munich centerback Kim Min-jae, the defensive anchor for the national team, also missed out through injury. Despite being without the two veterans, South Korea dominated the match, with 7 shots to Iraq's 2 and 76 percent ball possession. S. Korea's 12th World Cup will likely be Son's last The win left South Korea leading Group B with five wins and four draws, 3 points ahead of Jordan and seven clear of Iraq in third, with one game remaining. Two teams from each group move on to the World Cup, which means South Korea will be awarded a spot in the world's biggest soccer stage regardless of what happens in the final match. It is widely expected that the 2026 event will mark the last stage for Son, beloved captain of the national team since 2018, who recently won his first senior club title by leading Spurs to the 2025 UEFA Europa League championship. He will turn 34 during the World Cup hosted by Canada, Mexico and the US, and would be almost 38 at the next World Cup after that. Son has subtly mentioned that the 2026 would be his last World Cup outing. Appearing in YouTube video posted last month at the channel Shoot for Love, Son was asked if he would appear in two more World Cups, and answered "No, sorry." Throughout its history, South Korea had mostly hovered around the middle of the pack in the soccer world's most prestigious stage, moving onto the knockout stages three times and making the semifinals once on its home turf in 2002. But the country has been among the best teams in Asia South Korea is currently the only Asian team to play in at least 10 World Cups, participating in 10 consecutive events and 11 overall. Its biggest rival Japan is next on the list with eight, and has also recently qualified for the 2026 event. Brazil remains the only country in the world to appear in every single World Cup since the inaugural event in 1930, although it has not yet clinched its berth for the 2026 competition.
Korea Herald
13 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Super subs lift S. Korea to early World Cup berth
After the starters couldn't get anything going, super subs stepped up for South Korea and helped the country grab an early berth for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. South Korea blanked Iraq 2-0 for their latest Group B victory in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers at Basra International Stadium in Basra, Iraq, on Thursday (local time). South Korea are tops in Group B with 19 points, three more than Jordan, and those two countries have qualified for the World Cup as the top two seeds in their group with one match remaining next week. South Korea had virtually nothing working offensively early on, with Iraq applying aggressive pressing and giving the visitors precious little space. The match took an unexpected turn when Iraqi forward Ali Al-Hamadi was sent off with a direct red card in the 26th minute for fouling Cho Yu-min in their battle for a loose ball. Things began opening up for South Korea, though the best they managed was hitting the crossbar twice -- first by Lee Jae-sung with a header in the 36th minute followed by Lee Kang-in during the late minutes of the first half with a left-footed attempt. To begin the second half, head coach Hong Myung-bo made a switch in midfield that pushed his team over the hump. Defensive midfielder Park Yong-woo picked up a yellow card midway through the first half and Hong replaced him with Kim Jin-gyu, a more attack-minded midfielder. And almost immediately, Kim started buzzing on the right side by working off passes from Lee Kang-in and Seol Young-woo. Kim's effort led to the team's first goal in the 63rd minute, when Lee set him up in the center of the box. After a fine first touch, Kim calmly slotted the ball home for his first international goal since January 2022. Before Thursday, Kim had last played for South Korea in July 2022. But the 28-year-old worked his way back onto the radar of the national team staff this season with a strong run of play for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, currently leading the K League 1. In explaining his selection of Kim, Hong said on May 26 that Kim had shown he could be competitive in the national team setting and had taken major steps forward after stalling for a couple of years. Hong also said he hoped to pit several players against each other for some internal competition for playing time in midfield, and Kim became the latest to throw his hat into the ring. Kim was named the Man of the Match. "This was my first national team opportunity in a long time and I was able to score thanks to help from my teammates," Kim said. "I am happy that we accomplished our goal of qualifying for the World Cup after playing in a difficult environment." Kim's teammate on Jeonbuk, Jeon Jin-woo, also made his presence felt after entering the match in the 74th minute in his first senior international match. Jeon is leading the K League 1 with 11 goals this season and showed off his playmaking chops by assisting South Korea's second goal by Oh Hyeon-gyu, yet another second-half substitute, in the 82nd minute. In the minutes leading up to that goal and also afterward, Jeon handled the ball with the kind of assuredness not usually displayed by players in their first national team appearance. Jeon had his first shot attempt just three minutes after taking the field, and then found Oh, his former teammate on Suwon Samsung Bluewings for three seasons, for the dagger goal following a fast break. Hong noted last month that Jeon was capable of doing much more than just scoring goals and said he hoped Jeon's confidence would rub off on the rest of the national team. The coach has been successful with his substitutions throughout this qualification round and the subs once again made Hong look prescient in the monumental victory. (Yonhap)
