“Take two straight games in the Middle East!”
The Korean national soccer team led by Coach Hong Myung-bo will play two consecutive matches in the Middle East. The fifth and sixth rounds of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup North-China will be played in the Middle East. The opponents are Kuwait and Palestine, the “Middle East’s ambush.”
After overcoming a bad start, the team whistled for consecutive wins. It tied 0-0 with Palestine in the first round at home on Sept. 5. It was a huge disappointment to soccer fans as it failed to win three points at home against Palestinians, who are considered one step below.
Since then, the team has made a comeback. It secured its first win in the third Asian qualifying round by beating Oman 3-1 on Sept. 10. It then secured a 2-0 win in an away match against Jordan on Oct. 10. It avenged its 0-2 defeat in the semifinals of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup. It played a home game against Iraq on Oct. 15, and won 3-2.
Through the fourth round, he had three wins, one draw and 10 points. He remained undefeated and became the leader in Group B. He had eight points and three goals in four matches, displaying stable performance during offense and defense. He beat second-ranked Jordan and Iraq by three points, seven points, to increase his chances of advancing to the finals.
He is aiming at his fifth consecutive win. He is aiming at winning two consecutive games in the Middle East, which is scheduled in November. He will face off against Palestine on Wednesday after meeting Kuwait on August 14. The match against Palestine will be held in Jordan, a neutral zone. If he wins both the fifth and sixth rounds, he can solidify his lead in the group and move closer to the finals.
Eighteen countries advanced to the third Asian qualifying round. Six countries are divided into three groups, each of which is competing to advance to the finals. Korea belongs to Group B and is competing with Palestine, Oman, Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait. If Korea ranks within the second place in the group, it can win a ticket to the finals directly. If Korea wins six points in away matches in the fifth and sixth rounds in the Middle East, it can further inflate its hopes of confirming its advance to the finals early on. 스포츠토토
Team Korea will wrap up its A-match schedule this year after playing the matches against Kuwait and Palestine. The team will play the remaining three rounds of qualifying matches for the Asian region in March and June next year. It will have a home game against Oman on March 20 and a home game against Jordan on March 25. It will have an away game against Iraq on June 5 and a home game against Kuwait on June 10.
◆ The schedule for the 3rd qualifying round for the WC Asia region of the Korean national team (hereinafter referred to as Korea time)
- September 5 vs Palestine (home) 0-0 winless
- September 10 vs Oman (away) 3-1 win
- October 10 vs Jordan (away) 2-0 win
- October 15 vs Iraq (home) 3-2 win
- November 14 vs Kuwait (away)
- November 19 vs Palestine (away)
- March 20, 2025 vs Oman (home)
- March 25, 2025 vs Jordan (home)
- June 5, 2025 vs Iraq (away)
- June 10, 2025 vs Kuwait (home)