Hong Myung-bo, who is trying to advance to the World Cup finals for the 11th time in a row, will face Iraq tonight, which is considered the biggest challenge in the Asian qualifying round.
The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will play Iraq at 8 p.m. on the 15th at Yongin Mir Stadium in Gyeonggi Province in Group B of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup.
Hong Myung-bo, who got off to a shaky start with a 0-0 home draw against Palestine last month, won 3-1 in the second round away match against Oman and 2-0 in the third round away match against Jordan on the 10th to rank first in Group B (7 points, goal difference +4).
They share the same points with Iraq (7 points, goal difference +2), the second-ranked team in the group, but are ahead in goal difference.
If they beat Iraq at home, they can maintain their status in advancing to the World Cup finals in North Korea and the U.S. In the third qualifying round, the first and second place in the group will go straight to the World Cup finals.
The national team was not called up because “captain” Son Heung-min (Tottenham) injured his hamstring (muscle behind his thigh), and strikers Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) and Um Ji-sung (Swansea City) were injured in the match against Jordan, and Lee Seung-woo and Moon Sun-min (Jeonbuk) were selected as substitutes.
Difficulties are expected due to the departure of the main players, but expectations are being made on the performance of “young blood” such as Oh Hyun-kyu (Henk) and Bae Joon-ho (Stoke City), who played better than expected in the match against Jordan.
And attention is also being paid to whether Lee Seung-woo, a winger from FC Barcelona (Spain), who won the national flag for the first time in five years and four months, will get a chance.
Lee Seung-woo has 11 goals and 5 assists in K League 1 this season.
The Iraq match will be held at Yongin Mir Stadium, leaving the Seoul World Cup Stadium, which has been used as a home ground due to grass issues.
It is the first time that a men’s soccer A match will be held at Yongin Mir Stadium, which is in relatively good grass condition.
Iraq, ranked 55th in FIFA rankings, is one level below South Korea (23rd), but it has a formidable record, beating Japan 2-1 in the group stage of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Qatar earlier this year.
In particular, tall striker Ayman Hussein (Alkor), who has 28 goals in 77 A matches, is considered a “vigilant.”
In the last Asian Cup, he competed for the top scorer with five goals in four games until the round of 16, and also scored two goals in the group stage at the 2024 Paris Olympics as a wild card.
For Hong Myung-bo, how well Kim Min-jae (Munich), a key defender who served as a temporary captain instead of Son Heung-min, covers Hussein is expected to be an important variable that will determine the outcome.
It is also interesting to note that Spanish coach Jesus Casas, who was mentioned as a candidate for the Korean head coach, is at the helm.
In past records, Korea leads Iraq with nine wins, 12 draws and two losses. The last loss was in the final qualifying round for the Los Angeles Olympics (0-1 loss), which was recorded in 40 years.
Ahead of the Iraq match, head coach Hong Myung-bo said, “I gained confidence with the victory over Jordan,” adding, “We have to bring results in some way.” 메이저놀이터
Kim Min-jae also said, “We need to pay attention to the right of the successor to provide,” and added, “We will communicate with our colleagues to prevent it.”
“Korea is a fantastic team. It is a team equipped with good players,” Casas said. “It will be a challenge for Iraq and a difficult game. In a way, it will be a good game that can be tested.”