Latest news with #HongMyungbo
CNA
3 days ago
- Sport
- CNA
Hong keeps focus on World Cup after successful end to fraught campaign
South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo sought to focus on his team's preparations for next year's World Cup rather than the fraught campaign that eventually ended with the country celebrating qualification for an 11th consecutive finals. A 2-0 victory over Iraq in Basra on Thursday confirmed South Korea's progress as one of two automatic qualifiers from Group B of Asia's preliminaries, and came 11 months on from Hong's controversial reappointment as head coach. "It's an opportunity for us to test young guys who may be able to play at the World Cup next year," Hong said of Tuesday's remaining qualifier against Kuwait in Seoul. "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." Ex-national team captain Hong returned for a second spell in charge in July last year after a series of caretakers had been appointed following Juergen Klinsmann's underwhelming tenure, the German leaving in the aftermath of South Korea's Asian Cup elimination. The 56-year-old's appointment was greeted by protests among hardcore fans, many mindful of the team's performance under Hong at the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, when a highly-fancied squad crashed out in the group phase. Relations with supporters were further damaged by early struggles in qualifying, with players booed off the field in Seoul following an opening 0-0 draw with Palestine in September. That showing was one of several that highlighted the team's issues on native soil. While Hong's side are unbeaten across the nine matches played so far in the third phase of qualifying, the Koreans have won just one of four matches at home. The poor quality of the pitches used was blamed by players for their underwhelming performances and was another reason tensions increased between the country's football hierarchy and the support base. Despite those issues, qualification means the Koreans will extend a run of unbroken World Cup appearances that stretches back to 1986, with Hong now charged with building his squad for the challenge that lies ahead in North America. That will mean giving opportunities to less experienced performers as he looks for long-term options to stalwarts such as Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Hong keeps focus on World Cup after successful end to fraught campaign
June 7 (Reuters) - South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo sought to focus on his team's preparations for next year's World Cup rather than the fraught campaign that eventually ended with the country celebrating qualification for an 11th consecutive finals. A 2-0 victory over Iraq in Basra on Thursday confirmed South Korea's progress as one of two automatic qualifiers from Group B of Asia's preliminaries, and came 11 months on from Hong's controversial reappointment as head coach. "It's an opportunity for us to test young guys who may be able to play at the World Cup next year," Hong said of Tuesday's remaining qualifier against Kuwait in Seoul. "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." Ex-national team captain Hong returned for a second spell in charge in July last year after a series of caretakers had been appointed following Juergen Klinsmann's underwhelming tenure, the German leaving in the aftermath of South Korea's Asian Cup elimination. The 56-year-old's appointment was greeted by protests among hardcore fans, many mindful of the team's performance under Hong at the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, when a highly-fancied squad crashed out in the group phase. Relations with supporters were further damaged by early struggles in qualifying, with players booed off the field in Seoul following an opening 0-0 draw with Palestine in September. That showing was one of several that highlighted the team's issues on native soil. While Hong's side are unbeaten across the nine matches played so far in the third phase of qualifying, the Koreans have won just one of four matches at home. The poor quality of the pitches used was blamed by players for their underwhelming performances and was another reason tensions increased between the country's football hierarchy and the support base. Despite those issues, qualification means the Koreans will extend a run of unbroken World Cup appearances that stretches back to 1986, with Hong now charged with building his squad for the challenge that lies ahead in North America. That will mean giving opportunities to less experienced performers as he looks for long-term options to stalwarts such as Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers. "From this moment on, everything we do will be geared toward preparing for the World Cup," said Hong.
Independent Singapore
3 days ago
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
South Korea qualifies for the 2026 World Cup, making it their 11th tournament
South Korea became the sixth country to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for 11 consecutive times. Under the team's head coach, Hong Myung-bo, Korea secured the spot by defeating Iraq with a final scoreline of 2-0 at the Basra International Stadium. This is their ninth Group B match of the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America. This has been a historic milestone for the country, as even football's birthplace, England, has not achieved such a feat. Given South Korea's win, they are guaranteed at least second place in their group and secured a direct spot at the World Cup, regardless of the result in their final match against Kuwait. Moreover, Korea now tops their group with 19 points from five wins and four draws. They have a seven-point lead over third-placed Iraq, who have 12 points. Korea's qualification for its 11th straight FIFA World Cup adds to a streak that started with the 1986 tournament in Mexico. Truly, it will continue through to the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. This successfully achieved the sixth-longest streak in World Cup history. It is known that Brazil holds the record with 22 consecutive appearances since the first tournament in 1930, and Germany follows with 18. Argentina and Italy share third place with 14 appearances, while Spain is in fifth place with 12 consecutive appearances since 1978. Currently, South Korea trails these major footballing countries in terms of World Cup consistency. More so, Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Italy, Spain, and South Korea are the only countries that have qualified for the World Cup 11 or more times in a row. England and France have never gone beyond seven straight due to the intense European qualifiers. Japan follows Korea among Asian countries with eight consecutive appearances. In a social media post shared by Gianni Infantino, FIFA's President, he announced South Korea's involvement at the 2026 World Cup. He expressed: 'Many congratulations to 🇰🇷 Korea Republic for your qualification to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in 🇨🇦 Canada,🇲🇽 Mexico and the 🇺🇸 United States. 👏 An 11th straight participation is a record for nations outside Europe and South America and a truly impressive achievement. The memories from 2002, when you welcomed the world as @fifaworldcup co-hosts and reached the semi-finals, remain fresh in our minds. We can't wait to see you again next summer! ⚽.' In another social media post shared by FIFA World Cup, it stated: '🤩 Can 🇰🇷 create more moments like this at #FIFAWorldCup 26?' Netizens showed their support in the comments section by saying: 'South Korea surprises with unpredictable games❤️,' 'Respect for Korean Team🇰🇷,' and 'Japan and South Korea two nations are very interesting ❤️.'
