He meets a random enemy at the watershed of North Korea, China, and the U.S.
Led by coach Hong Myung-bo, the Korean national soccer team will have its fourth home game against Iraq at 8 p.m. on Tuesday at Mir Stadium in Yongin, the venue for the fourth round of the Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North Korea-China World Cup. It is a clash between Korea, the No. 1 team in the group, and Iraq, the No. 2 team. With the two teams tied (two wins, one draw, seven points), the rankings were only divided by the difference between gains and losses (Korea +4, Iraq +2).
The “Hong Myung-bo” team has begun to enjoy a tailwind ride. It started off shaky ground with a 0-0 home tie with the Palestinians, but won two consecutive away matches with the Jordanians (2-0) following Oman (3-1) in the second away match.
Korea must overcome Iraq to run atop Group B in a stable manner. However, it feels uncomfortable. Iraq is ranked 55th in the FIFA rankings. It is lower than Korea (23rd), but the second highest in Group B. It also passed Group F with six wins (18 points) in the second Asian qualifying round.
The biggest target is Aymen Hussein of Alcor. At the 2023 Qatar Asian Cup, he scored six goals in four matches and scored six goals in five matches in the second and final qualifying matches for the North-China World Cup. He has the best sense of goal as he has scored in all nine recent A matches. Initially, it was unclear whether the national team would be called up in October due to a rib injury, but he recovered quickly and finished preparing to play in the match against Korea. He is 188 centimeters tall and has excellent penetration from behind using his speed, which requires special attention. 메이저사이트
Coach Jesus Casas of Spain also stands out. A former scout for FC Barcelona and senior coach for the Spanish national team, he can play soccer efficiently based on his solid defense organization. In the second Group D match of the Qatar Asian Cup, he secured a 2-1 victory against Japan, which was one-ranked team.
He also has a strange relationship with Korea. The Korea Football Association (KFA) had nominated Casas as a candidate in the process of seeking a new head coach after replacing former German coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Negotiations have not progressed as the Iraqi Football Association has not let him go with the remaining contract period.