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| 사진=AFC |
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| 사진=AFC |
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It's a group that shouldn't be walking on a thorny path.
The South Korean national soccer team, which aims to advance to the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time, was drawn in Group B along with Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Palestine and Kuwait in the draw for the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 27th (Korea time).
It's the best teaming. Korea, which was organized into one port, received the best match. It is burdensome to have to go on an expedition to the sandstorm in the Middle East against five Middle Eastern countries, but it has avoided all the more difficult variables.
The thing that worried me the most in the second port was actually Australia. Australia has the best power in Asia after Korea, Japan, and Iran. Australia is a strong team that has pushed South Korea to the brink of elimination in the quarterfinals of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. In the past, it is very fierce with 9 wins, 11 draws, and 9 losses. Even if South Korea has many superstars such as Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae and Lee Kang-in, it is not easy to break through Australia's organized defense.
In addition, Australia, which has to go on long flights when it comes to managing its physical strength, is a lot of pressure on European players. Since the Middle East is close to Europe, there are better aspects to managing the players' condition than Australia. Qatar, which brought Bento to his knees at the 2019 Asian Cup, is also the strongest team in Asia with two consecutive Asian Cup losses. I'm glad I met Iraq.
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| The match between South Korea and China in the second qualifying round of the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 11th. South Korea's Son Heung-min, who won, is delighted. Sangam = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2024.06.11/ |
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It is regrettable that Jordan was caught in the third port, but a showdown with Jordan could motivate South Korea. Jordan completely smashed South Korea's pride in the group stage and semifinals at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, so we can use this third qualifying round as an opportunity to meet Jordan and pay him back. Jordan is not bad in that he has to put on a new color as the coach has recently changed.
In the fourth port, South Korea only had to avoid the UAE. This is because there is Bento who advanced South Korea to the round of 16 at the FIFA Qatar World Cup in 2022 for the first time in 12 years. Bento is a person who understands the tendencies of Korean players better than anyone else, so it could be very difficult to meet the UAE.
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| Sportschosun DB |
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If I had to pick the toughest opponent in the fifth port, it was China. Although South Korea is very strong against China, meeting with China was not necessarily a preferred meeting. Because Chinese players play too roughly, Palestine is a much better choice in terms of player protection.
It was six ports where the weakest opponent gathered, but there were as many as two ports to avoid. North Korea had to avoid more than two ports of Australia and Qatar. This is because it is a country that is politically intertwined beyond just sports issues. This is especially true when looking at North Korea's recent moves.
Indonesia is scary because of the presence of coach Shin Tae-yong. Coach Shin Tae-yong also knows South Korea better than anyone else, and his capabilities as a coach are among the best in Asia. In addition, Indonesia's power is rising steeply as it has transfused a large number of Indonesian mixed-race players to advance to the first World Cup in history. I am very lucky to have avoided North Korea and Indonesia.
It's no exaggeration to say that you've met the best opponent in almost every port. From the 2026 North-China World Cup, Asia's qualification has increased to 8.5 tickets, making it easier to go to the World Cup finals, so I'm not too worried, but how to get to the World Cup is also very important.
Korea is not a country whose goal is to make the World Cup finals. You have to prepare well for the World Cup qualifiers and go through a good process to gain more strength in the finals. As there is no difficult opponent, we need to walk a smooth path to get to the World Cup.
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| The match between South Korea and China in the second qualifying round of the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 11th. Son Heung-min is cheering with Lee Kang-in, who scored the first goal. Sangam = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2024.06.11/ |
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
