Assessing South Korea's World Cup Qualification Campaign

BeSoccer 1 year ago |

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The next World Cup will take place in Canada, Mexico and the United States in 2026. BeSoccer

The next World Cup will take place in Canada, Mexico and the United States in 2026. South Korea are one of the nations competing to qualify for a place at the tournament. The tournament will feature 48 teams this time around, up from the 32-team format that has been in place since before the turn of the century.

With players like Son Heung-Min in their ranks, South Korea will be confident they can qualify an eleventh consecutive World Cup since 1986. This article will explore the country's qualifying campaign thus far and look at what's to come.

The Qualifying Story so Far

South Korea are one of the national teams of the Asian Football Confederation and so are competing in the Asian section of World Cup qualifying. At the 2026 tournament, eight Asian nations will be assured of a spot while a ninth side will have to play in an inter-confederation play-off. World Cup qualifying consists of a total of five rounds.

The third-best ranked side in Asian qualifying, South Korea are competing with nations including Japan, Iran, Australia and Saudi Arabia who will all have their own ambitions and confidence of reaching the World Cup in North America. If you are keen to back the side, you can visit the Toto site and compare and assess a range of platforms in order to find the one that best suits your preferences before placing a wager on South Korea reaching the 2026 tournament.

Due to their international co-efficient, South Korea did not have to play in the first round of qualifying and instead entered at the second round stage. The side, now managed by Hong Myung-bo, who himself earned 137 caps as a player, were drawn in Group C alongside China, Thailand and Singapore and topped the standings with 16 points earned from five wins and one draw. South Korea scored 20 goals and conceded just once as they were held by Thailand. Finishing first secured the team's place in the Third Round of qualifying.

What's Next?

South Korea will now face five teams in the next phase and can secure their place at the World Cup in 2025, a year before the tournament kicks off.

The Third Round features 18 sides who progressed from the second phase, with the nations divided into three tables of six. The draw, which took place in Kuala Lumpur in June, put the Taeguk Warriors in Group B with Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and Palestine. South Korea will be big favourites to top the standings and seal their spot at the World Cup having been drawn against the lowest ranked and second-lowest ranked sides in the six pots.

In Group A, Iran are joined by Qatar, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyzstan and North Korea while Group C features Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China and Indonesia.

The top two nations in each group will automatically qualify for the World Cup. The sides who finish third and fourth will then enter the Fourth Round which will consist of two groups of three teams and the winner of each will then also progress. The two runner-ups will play in the Fifth Round over two legs and the victor will advance to the inter-confederation play-off, joining one team each from CAF, CONMEBOL, OFC and two CONCACAF nations. The fourth-lowest ranked sides will play two single-elimination matches and the winners will then meet the two highest-ranked countries with the victor of each fixture also qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

South Korea Record in Previous World Cups

South Korea played in its first World Cup back in 1954 but the nation was knocked out in the group stage after losing 9-0 against Ferenc Puskas' Hungary and 7-0 versus Turkey. It was more than three decades before the country qualified again but since 1986, South Korea have featured at every World Cup.

While seven of the ten campaigns have seen the nation eliminated in the group stage, South Korea reached the Round of 16 in South Africa at the 2010 World Cup and in Qatar at the most recent finals in 2022. However, it was in 2002 when South Korea hosted the finals with Japan that the country excelled to reach the semi-finals in iconic fashion.

Drawn in Group D, the Taeguk Warriors defeated Poland in front of nearly 50,000 supporters in Busan before drawing with the United States. Then, in the third and final group game, took on Luis Figo's Portugal and pulled off a shock 1-0 triumph through Park Ji-sung to progress.

In the Last 16, the mighty Italy were defeated as South Korea cancelled out Christian Vieri's opener on 88 minutes before Ahn Jung-Hwan - who played his club football for Perugia at the time - scored a sudden death winner. The quarter-finals then saw the nation defeat Spain on penalties before being beaten in the semis by Germany. Despite the loss, it was a truly memorable tournament for everyone associated with the country.

Summing Up

South Korea's new manager, staff and players will be confident of reaching an eleventh consecutive World Cup finals in 2026. Among the favourites in the Asian section of qualifying, the country is expected to reach the tournament being held in Canada, Mexico and the United States. What's more, with an additional 16 places in the competition, South Korea will feel even more certain and only a huge shock and disastrous campaign can derail their bid.