No more changes. No surprises. Barring any injury setbacks, the squad will continue its journey to the Qatar Asian Cup next January.
Jürgen Klinsmann, head coach of the South Korea national soccer team, named his squad for the first and second Asian qualifying rounds of the 2026 North American World Cup on Saturday. Twenty-three members of the squad have been called up. Captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Cho Kyu-sung (Mittwilan), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) and Hwang In-beom (Tsubena Zbezda) have been retained. Kim Young-kwon, Seol Young-woo, Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan), Kim Jin-soo, Moon Sun-min (Jeonbuk), and Lee Ki-je (Suwon) were also reinstated.
The only change is the return of goalkeeper Song Bum-geun (Shonan Belmare) from injury. Song was a regular on the roster until June of this year, when he was sidelined by injury. He was called back by Klinsmann after five months.
The journey to qualify for their 11th consecutive World Cup begins. South Korea opens against Singapore at 8 p.m. on Sept. 16 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. They then fly to China to face China at 9 p.m. on the 21st at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center. The soccer ball is round. Unlike at home, away from home, any opponent is a liability.
Still, there is a gap. In terms of objective power, Klinsmann’s men hold the key. South Korea is ranked 24th in the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), while Singapore and China are 155th and 79th, respectively. Against Singapore, the Koreans hold a 22-win, 3-draw, 2-loss record. They have not lost since a friendly match in August 1968. It has been 33 years since they last met in September 1990. China is also in control with 22 wins, 12 draws and 2 losses. They are on a three-game winning streak.
In the second round of qualifying, 36 nations will compete in nine groups of four teams. The first and second place finishers in each group will advance to the third qualifying round and earn a spot at the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia. South Korea is in Group C alongside China, Singapore, and Thailand in the second round. 아톰카지노 도메인
The second round of qualifying is actually pretty easy. The reason for fielding the best team against Singapore and China is to give the team a final tune-up for the Qatar Asian Cup next January. “We don’t have a lot of games left,” Klinsmann said after the 6-0 friendly win over Vietnam on March 17. “After the second round of World Cup qualifiers in November, it’s Asian Cup time. We need to keep the flow and the momentum going and bring continuity and continuity.” That means 23 players will be the final roster for the Asian Cup.
Klinsmann’s team will convene at a hotel in Seoul on the 13th and train at Mokdong Stadium. After the Singapore match, they will depart for China on the 19th. Klinsmann will hold a media conference on the morning of the call-up, where he will reveal the background of the player selection and the overall plan for the call-up.
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