Preparations are complete for the Korean national football team as they gear up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup North and Central America. Led by coach Jürgen Klinsmann, the team is ready to embark on their journey toward the World Cup, aiming to advance for the 11th consecutive time. With the number of countries advancing to the World Cup and the number of registrations allocated to Asia increasing, the qualification method of the Asian region is different from before.
The national team, led by Director Klinsmann, has released the roster for their first matches against Singapore and China, with familiar faces including ‘Captain’ Son Heung-min, Kang-in Lee, and other key players. Coach Klinsmann expressed confidence in the team’s ability following recent victories, emphasizing the importance of continuity and sustainability.
Key players such as Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, Hwang Hee-chan, and Lee Jae-seong have been performing well in their respective European clubs, further bolstering expectations for the national team’s success. The team’s improved performance in recent friendlies has shifted the narrative from initial concerns to growing confidence in their abilities. Chinese media has also taken note of the inclusion of European players in the Korean team, acknowledging their high value and potential impact.
As the team prepares for their upcoming matches and the long road to the World Cup, excitement and expectations are running high, with a sense of optimism surrounding the team’s potential success in the upcoming tournaments.
▲ Son Heung-min ⓒReporter Kwak Hye-mi ▲ Director Klinsmann ⓒReporter Kwak Hye-mi
[스포티비뉴스=조용운 기자] All preparations are complete. From now on, it will be a series of real battles. In order to win the first official game since its launch, all the resources that have been the main focus until now are called in.
The Korean national football team, led by coach Jürgen Klinsmann, will begin the long journey towards the 2026 FIFA World Cup North and Central America (USA, Canada, Mexico) starting in November. Korean football, which has played in the finals of the 1986 Mexico Games to last year’s Qatar Games, is aiming to advance to the World Cup for the 11th consecutive time, following Klinsmann’s baton.
The number of countries advancing to the North and Central American World Cup will increase to 48. The number of registrations allocated to Asai will also be expanded to a total of 8.5. Accordingly, the qualification method of the Asian region of the World Cup is also different from before.
A total of 36 countries will take part in the second preliminary round, divided into 9 groups of 4 teams. The first and second placed teams from each group will advance to the third preliminary round and automatically qualify for the finals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup to be held in Saudi Arabia in 2027.
The third preliminary round will be held from September next year to June 2025. Six countries will be organized into three groups and each team will play 10 home and away games. The top two teams from each group advance directly to the World Cup finals.
▲ Director Klinsmann ⓒReporter Kwak Hye-mi ▲ Director Klinsmann Kang-in Lee ⓒReporter Kwak Hye-mi
As the qualifications for participation are expanded, the teams in 3rd and 4th place in the group will also have opportunities. A total of 6 teams will be divided into 2 groups and compete in the 4th heat. Here again, the winner of each group advances to the World Cup, and the winning team advances to the re-continental games.
Korea, which participated in the second round of the preliminary round of the Asia region, was placed in Group C along with Singapore, China, and Thailand in the group that received pot number 1 according to the FIFA rankings. Korea has the upper hand in terms of overall record compared to other countries in the same group. They are well ahead of China with 22 wins, 12 draws, and 2 losses, and they are also ahead of Thailand with 31 wins, 5 draws, and 9 losses, and Singapore with 21 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses.
Korea, aiming to advance to first place in the group, will play its first match against Singapore at the Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 pm on the 16th. Then, at 9 pm on the 21st, the team will play the second away match against China at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre.
On the 6th, the Korea Football Association released the roster for the two-match series against Singapore and China. This list, which includes a total of 25 members, gathers all the Europeans, including ‘Captain’ Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, Lee Kang-in, Hwang Hee-chan, Lee Jae- seong, Hwang In-beom, Cho Gyu-seong, Jung Woo-young, and Hwang Ui-jo. The domestic team also has many familiar faces, including Kim Jin-soo, Seol Young-woo, Lee Ki-je, and Jeong Seung-hyun, who previously played as key players. Kim Seung-gyu and Park Yong-woo, who play in the Middle East, were also called up without fail.
▲ Lee Kang-in Son Heung-min ⓒReporter Kwak Hye-mi
There was no surprising choice. Compared to the October list, only one position changed and the only addition was the third goalkeeper, Song Bum-geun. The foretold sea. Coach Klinsmann won big in international matches against Tunisia and Vietnam last month and said, “We played two matches with the best of our ability to ensure the continuity and sustainability of the team. The second qualifying round of the World Cup starts in November, and after that, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar “We are going to the Asian Cup,” he said. It was a tone that had already confirmed the national team’s Plan A since October .In line with this, the best members will be implemented without any major changes starting from November.
The condition of the main players is also very good. Ace Son Heung-min has switched his position to a front line striker at Tottenham Hotspur this season and is showing excellent scoring ability. He scored 8 goals in 11 games in the English Premier League this season, coming second in terms of scoring after Erling Haaland (11 goals, Manchester City). He also plays one of the top two positions in the national team, so it is not difficult to follow the tactics.
Lee Kang-in also has a great flow. Lee Kang-in, who returned to Paris Saint-Germain after honing his practical sense through the Hangzhou Asian Games and international matches last month, managed to score attacking points in three consecutive games. Lee Kang-in, who scored his first goal for AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League, is also active in France’s Ligue 1. He assisted Kylian Mbappe’s goal in the 10th round match against Brest, and scored the first goal in the match in the 11th round against Montpellier.
▲ Son Heung-min ⓒReporter Kwak Hye-mi
Hwang Hee-chan also opened a golden era. Hwang Hee-chan, who has been reborn as Wolverhampton Wanderers’ ace this season, recorded an assist in last weekend’s match against Sheffield United and continued his offensive scoring streak for six consecutive games. Currently, with 6 goals and 2 assists in the Premier League, he is tied for 6th in scoring and 5th in attacking points. This is the highest position in the entire Premier League.
The national team’s hidden ace Lee Jae-seong also scored the winning header against Leipzig at the weekend, leading Mainz to its first win of the season. Hwang Ui-jo, who announced his revival by scoring a goal against Vietnam, also lives up to his first goal at Norwich City 10 days ago. Key defender Kim Min-jae was also ranked 22nd in the Ballon d’Or based on his performance at Bayern Munich, becoming one of the best in the world. Despite the constant hardships he faced between his own team and the national team, he drew praise for showing his superb defense in a rivalry match with Borussia Dortmund.
With the European team’s dazzling performance, expectations for Klinsmann are high. We are building a more fantastic team than ever, so we are looking forward to winning the Asian Cup in January next year. The performance of the national team, which had been slow until now, is also changing slowly. The Klinsmann sailed for the first time last March and played a total of eight friendlies during the international matches in June, September and October.
▲ Friendly match between Korea-Vietnam ⓒReporter Kwak Hye-mi ▲ Friendly match between Korea-Vietnam ⓒReporter Kwak Hye-mi
The record so far is 3 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses. At the start of the launch, there was considerable concern as there were no wins in five games. Even with the support of their home fans, they were unable to win against Colombia (2-2), Uruguay (1-2), Peru (0-1), and El Salvador (1-1), raising concerns .
After escaping a long run without a win in September against Saudi Arabia (1-0), things have clearly changed since October. Korea, who started their winning streak with a huge 4-0 win over Tunisia, turned things around by winning 6-0 against Vietnam. First of all, the unclear color of Coach Klinsmann, which was discussed together with the issue of living in the country, has been gradually dispelled with a series of great victories.
In line with Korea’s upward trend, China, its World Cup qualifier, showed more alertness. Chinese media outlet ‘Beijing News Sports’, which confirmed the Korea list, noted, “Tottenham’s number one stars Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, Norwich City’s Hwang Ui-jo, and even age Hwang Hee-chan , who is showing good form at Wolverhampton, are included.”
I was amazed by the number of Europeans. The media said, “Korea has 11 European players. The total value of the team is almost 200 million euros (about 279 billion won). On the other hand, China’s value is only 10 million euros (about 13.9 billion earned).” “Korea’s FIFA ranking is also 24th, which is much higher than China’s ranking of 79. Even if China plays at home, it will be difficult to score points,” he predicted.
▲ Korean-Vietnam War ⓒ Yonhap News
■ National football team call-up list in November (23 players)
GK: Seung-gyu Kim (Al-Shabab), Hyun-woo Cho (Ulsan Hyundai), Bum-geun Song (Shonan Belmare)
Defenders: Kim Young-kwon, Jeong Seung-hyun, Kim Tae-hwan, Seol Young-woo (Ulsan Hyundai), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Kim Jin-soo (Jeonbuk Hyundai), Lee Ki-je (Suwon Samsung)
MF: Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Park Yong-woo (Al-Ain), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Hong Hyun-seok (KAA Gent), Hwang In -beom (FK Crvena Zvezda), Jung Woo-young (VfB Stuttgart), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) ), Lee Soon-min (Gwangju FC), Moon Seon-min (Jeonbuk Hyundai)
FW: Oh Hyun-gyu (Celtic), Cho Gyu-seong (Midtjylland), Hwang Ui-jo (Norwich City FC)
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