Hong Myung-bo conducted his first local adaptation training since entering Kuwait. The keyword of this training is “fatigue recovery.”
The national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, held its first training session in Kuwait at 11 p.m. on the 11th (Korea Standard Time) at Abdullah Alcalipa Stadium in Kuwait City.
At 11 p.m. on the 14th, they will play the fifth Group B match in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup against Kuwait at Jabeur Al-Ahmad International Stadium.
Earlier, the national team left Incheon International Airport early on the 11th in Korean time and arrived in Kuwait through a 16-hour long-distance trip through Doha, Qatar.
At Incheon International Airport, 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-kyu (Ulsan), and Oh Se-hoon (Machida Zelvia), and head coach Hong Myung-bo and coaching staff left.
Jung Seung-hyun (Alwasle), Park Yong-woo (Al-Ain), Kwon Kyung-won (Korpaka), Cho Yoo-min (Sharja), Kim Min-jae (Munich), Hong Hyun-seok, Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Jung Woo-young (Unieon Berlin), Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham), Bae Joon-ho (Stoke City), and Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), who play in the Middle East stage, joined the national team in Kuwait, and 21 players performed their first training.
During the national team’s first training session, “young blood midfielders” Lee Hyun-joo (Hanover) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) arrived in Kuwait and moved to their accommodation.
Finally, when Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Seol Young-woo (Zvezda), and Oh Hyun-kyu (Henk) join the national team on the morning of the 12th local time, Hong Myung-bo will finally become a “complete body” with 26 players. It is regrettable that Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, the core of Hong Myung-bo, will join the team, but it is not a big variable because it has been experienced before.
Currently, the team ranks first in Group B. The team is three points ahead of second-place Jordan. After a 0-0 home draw with the Palestinians in the first round, the team won all three games and gained momentum.
In particular, the team finished the away match with a complete victory of 2-0 in Jordan, which was particularly tricky, and secured Iraq 3-2 at home. The team is committed to solidifying its lead in two consecutive away matches in the Middle East.
It is the first time in nine years that the Korean team has been away to Kuwait since 2015. At the time, the Korean team met Kuwait in the second Asian regional qualifying round for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and won the match 1-0 thanks to Koo Ja-cheol’s finishing goal. 토토사이트
A return match was scheduled to take place in Korea in 2016, but as Kuwait was banned from playing due to FIFA disciplinary action, the match was recorded as a forfeited win by the national team 3-0. The national team continued to have no loss (seven wins and one draw) in eight consecutive matches against Kuwait.
The first training session in Kuwait, which began at 11 p.m. Korean time and 5 p.m. local time, focused on conditioning.