Taeguk Warriors are always over the limit Chairman Chung Mong-gyu's miraculous message of support for the North Korea-China U.S. World Cup...Director Hong Myung-bo is the best. There's no easy opponent
◇Coach Home Myung-bo, Ambassador to the U.S. Kang Kyung-hwa, and President of the Korea Football Association (from left). Photo = Chairman Chung Mong-gyu's SNS
ReutersYonhap News
Chung Mong-gyu, chairman of the Korea Football Association (KFA), asked for a lot of support for the propaganda of Korean soccer at the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America.
Chairman Chung, who flew to the U.S. to attend the draw for the North-China World Cup, will compete with host Mexico, South Africa, and the European Playoff Victory Team (Path D) for a ticket to the round of 32 on his SNS on the 6th (Korea time). Our national team played all the preliminary games in Mexico to ease the burden of travel, but Guadalajara, where the first and second games will be held, is an alpine area over 1550m above sea level. Please support the national team to create another miracle in Mexico in June next year, when they will try again with one power' he said.
The draw ceremony for the North Korea-China World Cup was held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Chairman Chung posted a photo with A national team coach Hong Myung-bo and Ambassador to the U.S. Kang Kyung-hwa.
It's an all-time great teaming. Hong Myung-bo, ranked 22nd in the FIFA rankings, was in Group A along with Mexico (15th), South Africa (61st), and European Playoffs (PO) D winners. Denmark (21st), North Macedonia (65th), Ireland (59th), and the Czech Republic (44) will compete for a ticket to the finals in March next year. For now, Denmark seems likely.
This is the first World Cup where 48 countries, not 32 countries, participate. The group stage has been expanded from 8 groups to 12 groups. Not only the first and second places in each group (A to L groups, a total of 24 teams), but also the top eight teams among the third places will advance to the round of 32, a new start to the tournament.
In the draw from 'Port 1', South Korea met Mexico, followed by South Africa in Port 3 and Group A with European POD winners in Port 4, and the trip to the North-China World Cup. In Port 1, it is a good thing to avoid the favorites for now. The host country was a good match, but it's unfortunate that it's not the U.S. or Canada, but Mexico is still a good match. Mexico is a powerhouse that has always shown good performance in the World Cup, but it has been declining recently. There is also psychological confidence in that he has met relatively often, including the away A match in the U.S. in September.
South Africa is one of the best choices for us. First of all, they avoided Norway, who was called the strongest in Port 3, and South Africa has the lowest FIFA ranking in Port 3. First of all, at least one win is needed to pass the group stage. If you rank third with one win, one draw, and one loss, your chances of passing the group stage exceed 90%. There is a possibility of winning and losing one game and ranking third. One win is important, and South Africa is the team that can aim for victory the most in Port 3.
Europe, which must meet more than one team unconditionally, is also a relatively good opponent. It is natural luck to avoid Italy, Sweden, and Turkiye, which are the most difficult countries to enter the European PO.
A match warm-up match between South Korea and Bolivia held at Daejeon World Cup Stadium on the 14th. Son Heung-min scored the first free kick goal and is sharing his joy. Daejeon = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.11.14/
The short travel distance is also a good thing. The competition will be held in three countries: the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The United States alone is large, with Canada and Mexico joining, and the travel distance is enormous. For the convenience of not only the team but also the tourists, the organizing committee of the tournament reduced the movement of the group game as much as possible. The host cities will be divided into the West (LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver), the Central (Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Mexico City, Monterey), and the East (Atlanta, Boston, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and Toronto), and play by region. However, there are also some players who have to move around and play. So it was as important where to play as who to play.
Korea will play only in Mexico. South Korea will play the first match against the European POD winner at 11 a.m. on June 12 at Estadio Acron in Guadalajara, Mexico. At 10 a.m. on the 19th, the second game will be held in the same place as Mexico. At 10 a.m. on the 25th, he will play the final match against South Africa at the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey.
A warm-up match between Korea and Ghana at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 18th. Lee Kang-in is rushing toward the Ghana goalkeeper. Sangam = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.11.18/
A match warm-up match between South Korea and Bolivia held at Daejeon World Cup Stadium on the 14th. Cho Kyu-sung scored his team's second goal in the second half and is cheering with Kim Min-jae. Daejeon = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.11.14/
The distance between Guadalajara and Monterey Stadium is about 600 kilometers. South Korea will be able to play in Mexico without long movements throughout the group stage. However, the variables are the climate of the highlands and Mexico. The Estadio Akron in Guadalajara is located over 1550 m above sea level. It is very hot and humid in southern Mexico.
It's also a decent advantage for us to play early and have enough time to prepare for the next round if we make it to the tournament. Except for Mexico's home advantage, it is not a bad condition in many ways.
Coach Hong said, `There is no team that we can think of easily. I think it's important how much you demonstrate your team's strengths, and how much you adapt to the environment and perform. You have to prepare well for those things."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
