Son Heung-min of South Korea celebrates after scoring against Oman during the teams’ Group B match in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat on Sept. 10, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — Son Heung-min returned to the South Korean men’s national football team on Monday for a pair of World Cup qualifying matches scheduled for later this month.
Head coach Hong Myung-bo unveiled his 26-man team Monday as South Korea prepare for two away matches in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification tournament.
South Korea will first face Kuwait in Kuwait City on Nov. 14 and then take on Palestine in the Jordanian capital of Amman as the neutral venue on Nov. 19. Palestine will play all of their home matches at a neutral site until further notice due to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
South Korea are leading Group B with 10 points on three wins and a draw, three points clear of Jordan and Iraq with six matches remaining.
Son was not selected for two matches in October due to a hamstring injury. Without their longtime captain, South Korea defeated Jordan 2-0 and then Iraq 3-2.
Son played for Tottenham Hotspur in their 4-1 win over Aston Villa in the Premier League Sunday — his first match back since Oct. 19. He had missed seven of Spurs’ past eight matches.
There are three groups of six in the third round, and the top two teams from each group will grab direct tickets to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Teams finishing third and fourth will move on to the fourth round.
South Korea have played at every World Cup since 1986.
(Yonhap)
