Coach Hong Myung-bo, who was called to the National Assembly due to controversy over the process of appointing the national soccer team’s head coach and hit Bae Soo-jin himself, will announce the list of “second round” call-ups to play in two consecutive A matches in October. Attention is focusing on how to set up the national team at a time when it has to overcome its biggest crisis to advance to the World Cup finals for 11 consecutive times and reverse the chaotic situation inside and outside the national team.
Coach Hong Myung-bo will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. on the 30th at the soccer center in Sinmun-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, to reveal the list of call-ups for Jordan and Iraq in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup.
The selected players will have an away match against Jordan at the Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan, at 11 p.m. on Oct. 10. They will then return to Korea on a chartered plane and face Iraq at 8 p.m. on Saturday at Yongin Mir Stadium.
In fact, in the third qualifying round of the World Cup, which is the concept of the final qualifying round, the first and second place in each group will qualify for the finals, and South Korea, which started anew under coach Hong Myung-bo, ranked second among the six teams in Group B with one win and one draw (four points).
Jordan and Iraq also had one win and one draw together. Jordan (+2, 4 points), Korea (+2, 3 points), and Iraq (+1, 1 point) are ranked first and third in the group, depending on goal difference and multiple scores.
Coach Hong said it was not a bad start at the start of the third qualifying round, but the national team showed a disappointing performance in the first two games of the third qualifying round.
South Korea was disappointed by drawing 0-0 against Palestine in the first match at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 5th of this month, and in the away match against Oman on the 10th, it faced 1-1 until the middle of the second half and then scored two last-minute goals to beat the team 3-1.
Hong Myung-bo is already reeling from various controversies even after sailing after twists and turns.
On the 24th, Hong attended a questioning session of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee with Chung Mong-kyu, president of the Korea Football Association, and was questioned by lawmakers over the fairness of the appointment process.
“I am deeply sorry for causing public resentment in all football aspects, including the appointment of a coach,” Hong apologized, but added, “From my perspective, there has been no unfairness or preferential treatment in the process. I have no intention of resigning from the post. If he shows poor performance, he will be sacked.” The team is in an urgent situation to turn the situation around through two consecutive A matches in October.
The match between Jordan and Iraq is a very important game for Hong Myung-bo’s future. If South Korea defeats “strong rivals” Jordan and Iraq consecutively, it will give a green light to advance to the World Cup finals, which could also give Hong a boost.
Coach Hong is also making all-out efforts at a time when he has to add two more wins. Hence, the roster will likely remain the same as existing national teams. Major players including captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) will likely be included.
There is a possibility that some European players will be added to the list. Hong Hyun-suk (Minutes), who is listed for the first season, and Oh Hyun-kyu (Henk), Lee Young-joon (Grathhofer), and Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), who have recently performed well in Europe, are waiting for Hong’s choice. 토토사이트
Hong Hyun-seok, who left Belgium’s Hent for Mainz in Germany this season, showed his presence in the new team, starting in four consecutive games.
Oh Hyun-kyu scored two goals in the match against KV Mekeren in the Belgian league, and has displayed stellar performance in recent three consecutive matches (three goals and one assist), while Lee Young-joon also showed off his competitiveness in the Austrian league with two goals and one assist. Bae also showed off his robustness by steadily participating in the English Championship (minor league).
In particular, the national team has lost the weight of one-top in the previous two games, so it is highly likely that Hong will select a “new face” for the offense.