Hong Myung-bo, who still has not been stable, is preparing for an A-match in October despite the confusion.
Coach Hong Myung-bo will announce the list of players who will play in the third and fourth rounds of Group B of the Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Korea and the U.S. at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. The national team will play an away match against Jordan on March 10 and a home match against Iraq on March 15.
The upcoming A-match schedule in October is considered the biggest obstacle in the third qualifying round. Jordan (ranked 68th) and Iraq (ranked 55th) are ranked second only to Korea (ranked 23rd) in Group B. They are tough opponents to deal with.
Jordan dealt a blow to South Korea at the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup in February. After a draw in the group stage, the team advanced to the final by beating South Korea in the semifinals. In the aftermath, South Korea replaced Jürgen Klinsmann, and confusion continues until now.
The team has always had difficult matches with Iraq, a traditional powerhouse in the Middle East. Since losing 0-1 in the final preliminary match of the Los Angeles Olympic Games in April 1984, the team has had no loss for 40 years, but it has not been easy. In the 13 matches that took place since then, the team had seven draws. In the semi-finals of the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, the team lost the match after penalty shootouts.
In this normal situation, no one can guarantee victory, but the current mood of the national team is chaotic. Asked about pending issues at a general meeting of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee due to controversy over the appointment of a coach, Hong, Chairman Chung Mong-kyu and technical director Lee Im-saeng attended the meeting. All of those who attended the meeting failed to give clear answers, and rather fueled the situation.
Hong expressed his opinion that he attended the National Assembly for the people’s right to know, delaying the coach’s duties for a while. “I don’t think it was bad to talk about what the people were curious about,” he said. “It was originally time to check some players in Europe.”
When asked about pending issues, Hong flatly said, “I don’t think it was unfair or given preferential treatment.” When asked if he would resign if the illegal procedure is revealed, he stressed that the third qualifying round for the World Cup is underway.
“My role is to make our team really strong for the rest of the year,” Hong said. He visited the K-League ahead of the announcement of the roster over the weekend. He started to observe players in person and distinguish between good and bad.
With many key players expected to be included, including Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), attention is also being paid to whether Yang Min-hyuk (Gangwon FC) will be re-signed. Hong visited Gangneung Stadium on Friday, where Gangwon FC and Daegu FC had a showdown. 메이저놀이터
Yang Min-hyuk, who was born in 2006, was included in the A-match call-up list in September and ranked 13th (18 years and 132 days) as the youngest member of the national team to be selected. However, he failed to play in two consecutive games, which led to Palestine and Oman, postponing his debut dream to the next stage.
In addition, Lee Young-joon (Grathhofer) who has recently shown good performance in the Swiss league is also on the radar. With Joo Min-kyu (Ulsan HD)’s scoring capacity faltering, Lee, who boasts a tall height of 190 centimeters, could be another option. In fact, coach Joao Arroso visited Lee’s match site in person.
Meanwhile, Hong will announce the result of an audit by the Korea Football Association by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Oct. 2, two days after the announcement of the “A-match” list in October. The ministry plans to first convey the results of the KFA’s investigation into Hong’s appointment.