I'm jealous of Korean soccer as well as the best of Japan and Iran
Jun 27, 2024
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The fate of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup, the de facto final qualifying round, has been decided. The draw for the third qualifying round was held at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 27th (Korea time). South Korea, which is trying to advance to the World Cup finals for the 11th time in a row, was in Group B along with Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Palestine and Kuwait in the Middle East.
There was a chewy tension. The draw was held in reverse order from port 6 to port 1, which includes the lowest-ranking teams in the FIFA rankings in June.
Port 6 consists of North Korea (110th), Indonesia (134th), and Kuwait (137th). Port 5 has China (88th), Palestine (95th), Kyrgyzstan (101st), Port 4 has the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (69th), Oman (76th), Bahrain (81st), Port 3 has Saudi Arabia (56th), Uzbekistan (62nd), Jordan (68th), and Port 2 has Australia (23rd), Qatar (35th), and Iraq (55th). And in Port 1, the top seed, it was located in Japan (17th), Iran (20th), and South Korea (22nd).
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Group B was 'Best Group', and South Korea was chosen. The five teams to face are all Middle Eastern countries, which are burdened with expeditions. However, he has experienced it through the Asian qualifiers for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. At that time, South Korea, along with Iran, UAE, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, belonged to Group A and cruised to win the ticket to the finals in second place.
There is also an evaluation that it is more advantageous because the travel distance of European waves, the main axis of Korea, is short. In the case of Palestine, which is at war with Israel, the home game of the second qualifying round in a neutral area is also a variable for good luck.
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After defeating Japan 2-1 in the group stage of the Asian Cup, Iraq caused a stir by reaching the round of 16 as the top of the group. Iraq is also seeking revenge by losing to Jordan 2-3 in the round of 16 at the Asian Cup.
Japan was located in Group C with Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China, and Indonesia under coach Shin Tae-yong. Japan is uncomfortable because it cannot be in the same group with Australia and Saudi Arabia again. Japan, Australia, and Saudi Arabia continued to belong to the same group for the third consecutive time, starting with the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. In Russia and Qatar, Japan and Saudi Arabia went straight to the finals, and Australia went through the playoffs to reach the finals. The reality is that Indonesia, which is classified as the 'weakest', is not easy no matter which group it enters.
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In the third qualifying round, 18 teams will be divided into three groups of six teams and play a full league home and away. A total of six teams, ranked first and second in each group, will win tickets to the World Cup finals. The six teams ranked third and fourth in the group will be divided into two groups of three countries and play the fourth qualifying round with the characteristics of a consolation match. Two first-place teams in each group will advance to the finals, and the winners of the second-place teams will go through the intercontinental playoffs.
South Korea will play the first game against Palestine at home on September 5, and the last 10 games will be against Kuwait at home on June 10 next year. The match against Jordan will be played in Game 3 on the road on October 10 and Game 8 at home on March 25 next year. The match between South Korea and Iraq will be held at home in South Korea on Oct. 15 and the ninth at home in Iraq on June 5 next year.
The Korea Football Association will soon appoint a coach for the A national team to lead the third qualifying round. The Power Reinforcement Committee, which recently held its 10th meeting, evaluated the candidates, and based on this, Chairman Jung Hae-sung even conducted video interviews with foreign candidates with high scores.
After meetings with domestic coach candidates, a new head coach plans to come to the world.
◇Grouping for the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North Korea-China World Cup
Group A = Iran, Qatar, Uzbekistan, UAE, Kyrgyzstan, North Korea
Group B = Korea, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Palestine, Kuwait
Group C = Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China, Indonesia
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
