Hong Myung-bo’s national soccer team, which has been reeling from various controversies even after departing, will announce the list of players to play against Jordan and Iraq in the third Asian qualifying round for the FIFA North-China World Cup in October.
Coach Hong Myung-bo will reveal the list of national teams that will play in the October A-match (match between national teams) at 11 a.m. on the 30th at the Korea Football Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
South Korea will play an away game against Jordan at 11 p.m. on the 10th of next month at Amman International Stadium in Jordan, and a home game against Iraq at 8 p.m. on the 15th at Yongin Mir Stadium.
In the FIFA rankings, Korea (23rd) is ahead of Iraq (55th) and Jordan (68th).
South Korea, which belongs to Group B of the third qualifying round for the North Korea-China World Cup, will compete with Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Oman and Kuwait.
Coach Hong Myung-bo, who took the helm in July, won 3-1 in the second away match against Oman after drawing 0-0 at home against Palestine during the A-match in September.
Jordan, the first opponent in October, has a bad relationship at the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup held earlier this year.
At that time, South Korea lost 0-2 to Jordan in the semifinals of the tournament and failed to win, and later suffered a huge aftermath, with coach Jurgen Klinsmann being replaced.
Jordan also had one win and one draw in the first two matches of the third World Cup qualifying round. It tied Kuwait 1-1, and beat Palestine 3-1.
It is threatening to have goaltenders with individual skills and finishing skills from the front, including Yazan Al-Naimat (Al-Araibi).
Iraq is a powerhouse in the Middle East who will compete with South Korea for the lead in the group in Group B of the third qualifying round.
Head coach Jesus Casas, who was on the list in the process of appointing head coach Hong Myung-bo, is leading the team.
Iraq defeated Oman 1-0 in the first leg and won a 0-0 draw with Kuwait in the second leg.
Game 4 against Iraq at home was originally scheduled to be held at Seoul World Cup Stadium, but the venue was moved to Yongin Mir Stadium due to grass problems.
Earlier, Son Heung-min (Tottenham), the captain of the national team, complained that he did not perform at his best due to poor grass conditions at the Seoul World Cup Stadium after the match against Palestine.
Afterwards, the Korea Football Association sent an official letter to the AFC and asked them to move their home game venue to another place.
Yongin Mir Stadium, which has about 37,000 seats, has played an A match for the women’s national team in 2023.
The two consecutive A matches against Jordan and Iraq in October are also expected to be very important for coach Hong. 스포츠토토
Coach Hong, who was criticized for unfair allegations in the process of appointing the national team’s head coach, was recently questioned intensely by members of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee at the National Assembly.
“There was no unfair or preferential treatment in the process of appointing the national team,” he said, but public opinion toward coach Hong remains negative.
In the meantime, if the results and contents of the World Cup qualifying round in October are not caught, the pressure to resign will inevitably increase.