In this case, Son Heung-min's tears, Hong Myung-bo's actual death, Korea Spain's Türkiye Quiraso, the media's World Cup draw is expected to be revealed

Nov 21, 2025

When you meet Spain and Turkiye, it will be hard for Korea to guarantee a good performance.

The U.S. media Sports Illustrated held a draw for the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup on the 20th (Korea time).

Forty-two countries have been confirmed ahead of the World Cup, which will expand to 48 countries. The remaining six spots will be confirmed through the European and intercontinental playoffs. Sports Illustration expected which countries would advance to the finals through the European and intercontinental playoffs and held an expected draw. In addition, the media assumed that the countries that advanced through the playoffs would be divided into the top ports rather than the four ports.

As a result of the expected draw, Korea was expected to face a very difficult match. Korea, which was in Group E, met Spain, Turkiye, and Quiraso. Spain and Quiraso are confirmed to advance to the World Cup, but Turkiye is a country that has advanced to the European playoffs.

The media reported that Spain, the defending European champion, is one of the favorites to win the tournament next summer. If the group remains the same, Spain is likely to easily qualify for the tournament. Among the rest of the teams, South Korea and Turkiye are considered the teams to pay attention to in this tournament.

It seems like an easy evaluation, but in fact, the group of death is no different. Spain is full of world-class players such as world's best midfielder Pedri, including Ramin Yamal, the world's best prospect at this time. Spain is currently ranked No. 1 in the FIFA rankings and is considered the top candidate for the championship. So far, South Korea has never met Spain six times and won a single game. In the 2002 World Cup between Korea and Japan, South Korea defeated Spain after a penalty shootout, so it was recorded as a draw. The most recent friendly match in 2016 was a 1-6 disaster.

Port 1 countries are difficult for all countries except the United States, Mexico, and Canada, so who you meet in Port 3 and Port 4 is important. When I meet a Turkiye on port 3, it's not the worst, but it's no different than Chaak. Turkiye is currently ranked 25th in the FIFA rankings. There is virtually no difference in electricity from Korea.

Turkiye, which has Kenan Yildiz and Arda Güller, the world's top prospects, is also alive and well with Hakan Chalhanoglu. In addition, there are not a few players from big clubs such as Merich Demiral. Although they have not met each other in the last 14 years, Korea has only one win in the past seven times in a Turkiye. I'm glad I avoided Erling Holan's Norway, but Turkiye is one of the countries I should never meet.

Fortunately, Curaçao is the weakest team that Hong Myung-bo can meet at the World Cup. It is a country that must be used as a sacrifice for one win when Korea meets. It is the country with the smallest population (150,000) among the countries that have advanced to the finals so far. The FIFA ranking is only 82nd. He has no experience in the World Cup.

A match warm-up match between South Korea and Ghana at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 18th. Director Hong Myung-bo is lost in thought. Sangam = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.11.18/

Spain and Turkiye are difficult, but if you meet Curaçao, you can increase your chances of advancing to the tournament even a little. This is because the tournament starts from the round of 32 as the size of the World Cup expands. If the points are high among the third place in the group, eight countries will advance to the round of 32. The problem is that if you are lucky enough to reach the round of 32, you will have a very difficult match in the round of 32. Coach Hong Myung-bo may not even have the opportunity to challenge the quarterfinals he aimed for. It would be a scenario that no one wants for the last World Cup of Son Heung-min, the best player ever in Korea, to end in the round of 32.

The real draw will take place in Washington on the 16th of next month. It is no exaggeration to say that everything depends on the draw for the World Cup.

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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.