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| Grand Millennium Al Seef Basra/ Men's A Team/ 2026 FIFA U.S. World Cup 3rd qualifying round/ Korea vs. Iraq/ Iraq/ squad/ Lee Kang-in/ Photo by Kim Jung-wook |
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| Basra International Airport/ the third qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Korea and the U.S., Korea vs. Iraq/ Iraq/ charter flights/ arriving at the airport/ Son Heung-min/ Photo by Kim Jung-wook |
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| Basra International Airport/ the third qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America/ Korea vs Iraq/ chartered plane/ arrival at the airport/ bulletproof bus/ photo Kim Jung-wook |
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Lee Kang-in, who shared the first-ever treble myth of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), including the European Champions League, joined on the 3rd (Korean time) and became the whole group.
PSG won 5-0 in the 2024-2025 European Champions League (UCL) final against Inter Milan at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, on the 1st, lifting the 'Big Year' (UCL Trophy) for the first time in 55 years.
This season, PSG won the French League 1, the Coupe de France (French Cup), and the Trope de Champion (French Super Cup) for the second consecutive year. On top of that, he won the UCL title this season and won four gold medals. Lee Kang-in failed to make the UCL final stage, but became the first Asian player to achieve the European stage treble (UCL, league, FA Cup championship) beyond Korean soccer.
Hong Myung-bo entered Iraq first on the day, with only 11 consecutive World Cup finals remaining. South Korea will play its ninth Group B match against Iraq in Basra, Iraq, on the 6th in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup.
Twenty-one Taegeuk Warriors, including Son Heung-min (Tottenham), who returned last week with the emotion of winning his first career Europa League title, departed on the 2nd and flew 11 hours by chartered plane to Basra. With the addition of Lee Kang-in, the Europa League and UCL winners also played for the first time on the national team at the same time.
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| Basra International Airport/ the third qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Korea and the U.S., Korea vs. Iraq/ Iraq/ charter flights/ arriving at the airport/ Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Iraq/ banners/ groups/ photos Kim Jung-wook |
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| Basra International Airport/ the third qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Korea and the U.S./ Korea vs. Iraq/ Iraq/ chartered plane/ airport arrival/ Lee Jae-sung, Kim Jin-kyu, Oh Se-hoon, group/ photo Kim Jung-wook |
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Middle Easterners Cho Yoo-min (Sharja), Park Yong-woo (Al Ain), and Kwon Kyung-won (Corpacan) arrived at Basra's accommodation first to greet them. It was 5 p.m. local time, but it was 44 degrees Celsius, so I realized the heat. An official of the A national team said that it was hotter due to the warm wind. Training hours will be adjusted to 45 degrees Celsius during the day and 35 degrees Celsius during the evening.
On the murder heat, Hong said, `No one of our players has experienced it. Korea has been hot in the past one to two weeks, so I think it would have helped some adjustment, but I think there will be various conditions, including unilateral support from the opponent"I'll put this part in my head and go into the game."
The Taegeuk Warriors took a commemorative photo in front of a welcoming banner at the Korean Embassy in Iraq at Basra Airport and immediately moved to their accommodation. The coaching staff and players on the two bulletproof buses received road control cooperation from security vehicles and police escorts.
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| Basra International Airport/ the third qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Korea and the U.S./ Korea vs. Iraq/ Iraq/ chartered plane/ airport arrival/ Hwang Hee-chan, Oh Se-hoon, Hwang In-beom, group/ photo Kim Jung-wook |
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Interviewing director Hong Myung-bo
(Young Jong-do = Yonhap News) Reporter Yoon Dong-jin = Hong Myung-bo, the coach of the Korean national soccer team, is interviewing before departing for Iraq through Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 on the 2nd. 2025.6.2 |
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Hong Myung-bo maintains the top spot in Group B with 16 points (4 wins, 4 draws), while Jordan is second (13 points, 3 wins, 4 draws, 1 loss) and Iraq is third (12 points, 3 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses). Oman ranks fourth (10 points, 1 win, 3 draws, 4 losses), and Palestine (6, 1 win, 3 draws, 4 losses) and Kuwait (5, 5 draws, 3 losses).
In the third qualifying round, the first and second places in each group will win a ticket to the World Cup finals. The third and fourth places will go to the fourth qualifying round, while the fifth and sixth places will be eliminated. South Korea will secure at least the second place in the group if it wins one draw in two matches.
Coach Hong said, `There are only two games left, and it is an important time to determine the World Cup ticket. I'll play well for two days"I'm going to talk about which game I'm going to focus more on and when I go to the local area."
As for whether Son Heung-min, who is not 100% in condition due to a foot injury, will be utilized, Hong said, `I haven't talked about that exactly yet"First of all, we've heard enough of your will, etc."," he stressed.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
