Heat wave + away pressure → Coach Hong Myung-bo has succeeded in advancing to the WC for 11 consecutive times. Now, everything is focused on the World Cup

Jun 06, 2025

Heat wave away pressure → Coach Hong Myung-bo has succeeded in advancing to the WC for 11 consecutive times. Now, everything is focused on the World Cup
Photo =Korea Football Association



Coach Hong Myung-bo's eyes are now on the 2026 North-China World Cup finals.

South Korea's A national team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, won 2-0 in Group B of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup against Iraq at Basra International Stadium in Iraq on the 6th. Kim Jin-kyu's winning goal in the 18th minute of the second half and Oh Hyun-kyu's additional goal in the 37th minute of the second half earned three points.

With the victory, South Korea ranked first in Group B, beating Jordan (16 points), with five wins and four draws and 19 points in the third qualifying round. He also widened the gap with third-place Iraq (12 points), confirming his advance to the finals of the North-China World Cup regardless of the remaining results against Kuwait. The record for consecutive finals, which began at the 1986 Mexico Games, has increased to 11.




It wasn't an easy game. The hot weather, 50,000 Iraqi spectators filling the stadium, and a chaotic atmosphere that caused two crowd invasions shook the players. Nevertheless, he did not lose his concentration until the end and won the World Cup finals with a scoreless victory.

Heat wave away pressure → Coach Hong Myung-bo has succeeded in advancing to the WC for 11 consecutive times. Now, everything is focused on the World Cup
Photo =Korea Football Association
Coach Hong Myung-bo said in a press conference after the game that `he expected it to be a difficult game. It was not an easy game, but one of the opponents was sent off, so we were able to control the game. As a result, the players made good use of the lack of opposing numbers to score. I am pleased with it." "From now on, we will focus everything on the World Cup. We need to prepare well for the World Cup finals," he added.

Kim Jin-kyu (Jeonbuk Hyundai), who scored the final goal of the game and was named the most valuable player of the game, also attended the press conference. Kim Jin-kyu said, `I'm glad that I came to a difficult place and achieved the goal that the team wanted.'




Hong Myung-bo, who finished the Iraq match with a victory, moved to the airport immediately after the match and returned home by chartered plane. He will enter the country through Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 6th, and will hold a brief event to advance to the World Cup for the 11th consecutive time. After that, the disbanded team will gather again on the 8th and resume training for the match against Kuwait at Paju NFC.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.