The national soccer team’s “Hong Myung-bo” joined by Captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and will be complete in two months.
The national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will play the fifth away match of Group B of the third qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup in Asia at the Jabeur Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City, the capital of Kuwait, at 11 p.m. on the 14th (Korea time). Five days later, at 11 p.m. on the 19th, it will move to the neutral zone of Amman, Jordan, to play the sixth away match against the Palestinians.
In the beginning, 10 players, including Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan), Kim Kyung-min (Gwangju), Lee Chang-geun (Daejeon), Lee Myung-jae (Ulsan), Lee Ki-hyuk (Gangwon), Kim Moon-hwan (Daejeon), Lee Tae-seok (Pohang), Kim Bong-soo (Kimcheon), Joo Min-gyu (Ulsan), and Oh Se-hoon (Machida Zelvia), and Hong Myung-bo and coaches joined Kuwait early on the morning of the 11th via Qatar Doha. Twenty-one players from the European and Middle Eastern leagues gathered at the Abdullah Al Khalifa Stadium in Kuwait City on the morning of the 12th to conduct their first adaptation training.
In the meantime, Lee Hyun-joo (Hanover) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) arrived in the country, and Son Heung-min Seol Young-woo (Zvezda) and Oh Hyun-kyu (Henk) joined in the afternoon, bringing all 26 people together.
While Son Heung-min was out of the lineup due to thigh injury last month, the Korean national team played the third and fourth matches with Jordan (Original round) and Iraq (home). However, young players from European leagues such as Oh Hyun-kyu and Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City) performed robustly, and won the entire match. As the team has won three consecutive matches in the third preliminary round, it is leading the league with 10 points (three wins and one draw). Jordan (goal difference +4) and Iraq (goal difference +1, seven points or more) are ranking second to third, followed by Oman (goal difference -3) and Kuwait (goal difference -4, three points or more) and Palestine (two points).
Depending on the outcome of the two consecutive matches, the team will be able to win the right to directly advance to the World Cup finals, which will give up to the second place in the group. Son Heung-min, who serves as the pillar and mental pillar of the national team, is also expected to gain stronger strength. 안전놀이터
Kuwait and Palestine are considered weak players in the group. Nevertheless, we cannot afford to let down our guard because it is an away match in the Middle East, which is constantly subject to variables in adapting to the local community. In addition, European players have virtually no choice but to join the group two days before the match, and focus on recovery while preparing for the match. Tactical training is practically the last training session as a whole. In addition, Son Heung-min has not fully recovered from his thigh injury recently, and his team is also managing the playing time.
Coach Hong is also considering this situation and devising Plan B while wary of negligence.