The Palestinian mental armament is great.
Palestinian coach Markram Daboub attended an official press conference against South Korea in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup at Sangam World Cup Stadium in Seoul on the 4th.
Palestine is a weak team that ranks 96th in the FIFA rankings. However, the fact that it passed the second qualifying round and advanced to the third qualifying round, beating Lebanon and Bangladesh, means that it cannot be ignored.
Daboub has been at the helm of Palestine since 2021. We should be wary of the fact that we have been together for four years.
“We will meet the best team in Asia. Korea has played in 10 consecutive World Cups. There are many outstanding players,” Dabub said.
“We have a big dream to advance to the World Cup. It is the first time that we have made it to the third qualifying round. We will try to achieve our dream of the World Cup. It is true that there is a power leak. However, we have a great belief in our current strength. We will do our best to achieve our dream by getting good results against the Republic of Korea,” he added.
Wesam Abu Ali also said, “I will do my best to get good results against the Republic of Korea. We will play against the best in Asia. It is important to get good results based on our efforts. We will try to get good results for our country and the national team.”
Coach Daboub and the Palestinians have not been well prepared due to the ongoing dispute over the Middle East centered on Israel-Hamas. They have recently moved to Malaysia for training and are now in a difficult phase.
“We have some players who don’t have a team. That’s why some of them haven’t played at all. Some of them joined the team late. We had a warm-up match once when we were training in Malaysia, but this is the first time we have played a real game against the Republic of Korea,” Dabub said.
Nonetheless, the Palestinians’ dream to challenge at the World Cup is ongoing. “I think they achieved their big goal just by advancing to the third qualifying round. Their goal afterwards is to pass the third qualifying round. It will be a great hope for the Palestinian people. I hope that they will have a better life.”
Ali said, “We have to do our best in every match. Our goal is to pass the third qualifying round and to play in the World Cup. If it does happen, it would be fantastic. I want to give happiness to the Palestinian people who have been suffering so far. That is my goal.” 안전놀이터
The Palestinians are wary of Son Heung-min as expected. “There are many great players in Korea and we are most wary of Son among them. We will compete with the teamwork and organization. We will defend talented players like Son with our determination and organization,” Dabub said.
Ali said, “It will be a very difficult game and I respect the Republic of Korea. However, soccer is a 90-minute game. If I do my best with good tactics, I think I can get three points.”