South Korea soccer will be looking to qualify for its 11th consecutive tournament at the 2026 FIFA World Cup North and Central America. A good draw that minimizes variables is key. The draw for Asia’s third qualifying round will take place at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at 4 p.m. on Sunday.
The 18 nations that will compete in the third round of qualifying in September will be divided into three groups of six nations, playing a home-and-away, round-robin format. The top two teams in each group will qualify directly to the World Cup, with a total of six nations. The third- and fourth-place finishers will again be divided into two groups of three nations, competing for two tickets to the 안전카지노사이트 World Cup (group winners) and one ticket to the intercontinental playoffs (head-to-head between the second-place teams).
South Korea (No. 22), the third-ranked team in Asia behind Japan (No. 17) and Iran (No. 21), will avoid the toughest draw by entering Port 1. Australia and Qatar in Port 2, and Saudi Arabia and Jordan in Port 3, are the other teams to watch out for. There are also some daunting opponents from coaches who know Korea well, such as former national team coach Paulo Bento’s United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Port 4 and Shin Tae-yong’s Indonesia in Port 6. They also want to avoid North Korea, which will be playing away from home in a hostile atmosphere.