"Forty-five-degree sweltering heat." Go over it!Hong Myung-bo's bid to go to North Korea, China and the U.S
"Forty-five-degree sweltering heat." Go over it!Hong Myung-bo's bid to go to North Korea, China and the U.S
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Korean soccer will overcome the scorching heat of 45 degrees Celsius and try to confirm its advance to the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time.
The national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will play Iraq at 3:15 a.m. on the 6th (Korea time) at Basra International Stadium in Iraq in Group B of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup.
With only two games left in the third qualifying round, South Korea is leading among six countries in Group B with 16 points (13, 3 wins, 4 draws and 1 loss) ahead of second-place Jordan (13, 3 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses) and third-place Iraq (12 points, 3 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses).
He will win a ticket to North Korea, China and the U.S., which will give him the second place in the group even if he draws in an away match in Iraq.
Then, Korea will make it to the finals of the World Cup for 11 consecutive times from the 1986 Mexico Games to the upcoming North-China event. It is the 12th event in Korea's history including the 1954 event in Switzerland, when Korea first competed in the World Cup.
Of course, even if they lose to Iraq, they can return to Korea and reach the World Cup finals if they win points in the final 10th game of the third qualifying round against Kuwait at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 10th.
However, if both games are lost, there is a possibility that they will be pushed to the fourth qualifying round.
It is the first time in 35 years that South Korea has played an A-match in an away match in Iraq since a friendly match in Baghdad in February 1990.
Coach Hong Myung-bo, who was a player at the time, has experience in starting the Iraq match. A lot of time has passed, but how well Hong will use his memory 35 years ago is the key.
Since then, Iraq's home games have been held in nearby Middle Eastern countries such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), so there has been no A-match in Iraq for a while.
The biggest enemy of the Iraq expedition is the scorching heat.
Local temperatures soar to 45 degrees Celsius during the day, and 35 degrees Celsius even in the evening.
Although he used a chartered plane, he is physically exhausted due to long-distance flights, and European players such as Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) are at risk of injury after the season.
Physical fitness management is expected to be the most important task in the Iraq war.
In the FIFA rankings, South Korea ranked 23rd and Iraq 59th.
In all past matches, South Korea has an overwhelming advantage with 10 wins, 12 draws, and two losses, including three consecutive wins.
In the third qualifying round in October last year, Oh Se-hoon (Matcha), Oh Hyun-kyu (Henk), and Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) scored to win a 3-2 sweat.
The last defeat to Iraq was a shootout defeat in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup semifinals in 2007, but the official record remains a draw. It is a painful memory of losing 3-4 in a penalty shootout after being tied 0-0 until the extended period.
The last time they lost at regular time was 0-1 in the final qualifying round for the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. 메이저사이트
"It was extremely hot and humid as soon as we arrived at the airport. We always played tough matches in the Middle East, but we will prepare well for the plays that we want to play and bring good results," said Seol Young-woo (Zvezda), the national team's main fullback.
"I have help from the national team, but I don't score. The result comes first, but I hope I win with my goal," he stressed.