Kim Min-jae fills the vacancy of ‘captain’ Son Heung-min.
The South Korean national soccer team led by head coach Hong Myung-bo will face Jordan in the third Group B match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup North-China at Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan, at 11 p.m. on Tuesday. Currently, South Korea is in second place with one win and one draw (four points), while Jordan is also in first place with one win and one draw (four points).
Korea wants to avenge Jordan. Korea lost to Jordan twice at the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup. In the second group match, which was their first showdown, the team secured an unexpected 2-2 draw.
In the second showdown, the team ended the tournament in the semifinals after being blocked by Jordan. At the time, Korea suffered greatly from Al-Naimat and Altamari of Jordan, allowing two goals. Not only that, but the team failed to properly target Jordan’s defense, falling to its knees 0-2.
Korea is in a bad mood ahead of the third qualifying round for this World Cup. The Korea Football Association replaced Jurgen Klisman in February and found a new head coach to lead the national team. However, the appointment was delayed due to difficulties in finding a coach.
The final choice of the Korea Football Association was Hong Myung-bo. There was controversy over fairness in the selection process, but there was no reversal. Coach Hong Myung-bo led the national team in September to play the second consecutive World Cup qualifying round in Asia.
The team was not satisfied with the result. Hong Myung-bo had a 0-0 draw at the first match against Palestine, and won 3-1 against Oman. The team needs better performance and results in the third and fourth matches against Jordan and Iraq.
Son Heung-min, the captain of the team, is not fully recovered. Son Heung-min injured his hamstring in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League phase against Karabakh. Coach Hong Myung-bo also picked Son for the injury. “I communicated with him in person. What I feel now is that he is improving little by little,” he said.
However, his recovery was slower than expected. He failed to play properly for his team, Tottenham Hotspur. Eventually, the Korea Football Association announced on the 4th that Son Heung-min, who suffered a thigh injury, needed rest, so we decided to exclude him from the call-up to protect the player. 안전놀이터
Son Heung-min’s captain’s armband will be temporarily worn by Kim Min-jae. Kim Min-jae had the experience of wearing the captain’s armband temporarily in an A-match against Tunisia in October last year. Coach Hong Myung-bo appointed Kim Min-jae as the temporary captain in the two consecutive preliminary games.
Kim Min-jae is in good condition this season. He gained huge trust from coach Vincent Kompany and secured the starting position. He scored his first goal of this season ahead of joining the national team, boosting his confidence to the fullest. Attention is focusing on whether Kim Min-jae will be able to take the center stage of the team.