Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the South Korean men’s national football team, speaks at a press conference at the Korea Football Association House in Seoul on Sept. 30, 2024, announcing his squad for World Cup qualifying matches in October. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Rising young stars based in Europe have been called up for South Korea’s two World Cup qualifying matches in October.
Head coach Hong Myung-bo unveiled his 26-man squad on Monday for the next pair of matches for South Korea in Group B of the third round in the Asian World Cup qualification.
South Korea will face Jordan at Amman International Stadium in Amman on Oct. 10. Five days later, they will host Iraq at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, some 40 kilometers south of Seoul.
The squad features Stoke City midfielder Bae Jun-ho, a 21-year-old attacker who has been among his English club’s best players since last year. Fellow midfielder Kwon Hyeok-kyu, who plays for Hibernian in Scotland, earned his first senior international callup.
Oh Hyeon-gyu, forward for the Belgian side KRC Genk, is on the national team for the first time since the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup in February.
Captain Son Heung-min was named to the team despite recently suffering a hamstring injury. He missed the Premier League match for Tottenham Hotspur against Manchester United on Sunday.
Seoul World Cup Stadium had been chosen as the venue for the Iraq match but the Korea Football Association (KFA) asked the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to switch to the Yongin stadium, citing poor pitch conditions at the Seoul venue.
South Korea had a goalless draw against Palestine and then beat Oman 3-1 in their first two Group B matches held earlier this month. With four points, they are in second place in Group B behind Jordan.
Jordan also have four points and have the same goal difference as South Korea with +2, but they have scored one more goal than South Korea with four.
Iraq also have four points and they are in third place due to their +1 goal difference.
South Korea are the top-ranked team in Group B at No. 23, followed by Iraq at No. 55 and Jordan at No. 68.
There are three groups of six in the third round, and the top two teams from each group will qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The third- and fourth-place teams from each group will move on to the fourth round.
South Korea have played at every World Cup since 1986.
Hong, appointed in controversial circumstances in July, has failed to win back fans disgruntled over his hiring process. The KFA has been criticized for ignoring its own vetting process to bring Hong aboard and pleading with him to take the job after failing to come to terms with foreign-born candidates. Hong was heavily booed by home fans before, during and after the Palestine match on Sept. 5.
Hong and KFA President Chung Mong-gyu were called in as witnesses for a questioning session for the parliamentary committee on sports at the National Assembly last week.
The ministry of culture, sports and tourism is scheduled to announce interim results of its probe into the KFA’s operations on Wednesday.
(Yonhap)
