Women and men preparing for World Cups

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The Korea Times

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SCMP
Asia

Video

Photos

The Korea Times

Sports

Tue, February 7, 2023 | 00:34

Women and men preparing for World Cups

Posted : 2022-10-31 17:36

Updated : 2022-11-01 16:25

South Korea's national football team manager Paulo Bento speaks during an interview with reporters at Paju National Football Center in Gyeonggi Province, Friday. / Yonhap

By John Duerden

The next few months will, in soccer terms, be a tale of two World Cups, though it is unfortunate that South Korea missed out on hosting rights for the 2023 Asian Championships. Last Saturday, the country found out just who they will be facing at the 2023 Women's World Cup, which will kick off next July in Australia and New Zealand.

It starts against Colombia in Sydney on July 24, continues six days later against Morocco and concludes the group in a meeting with Germany in Brisbane. Korea's coach Colin Bell may be English but the Leicester-born tactician has spent much of his playing and coaching career in Germany and will be very familiar with the final game opponent.

"I had a feeling we would get Germany," Bell said. "I've lived in Germany most of my life and it will be a bit of a dream for me and my family too. But we have two other tricky opponents in Morocco and Colombia and we'll need to be very well prepared."

After Germany's men were knocked out of the 2018 World Cup by South Korea, there will be no underestimation of the East Asian team by coach Martin Voss-Tecklenburg. "We are looking forward to playing three very different teams, who will provide us with different challenges. It's a big challenge to analyze these teams in advance but we want to solve those challenges," she said.

With Germany ranked No. 3 in the world by FIFA, 14 places above Korea, it may be best that the game is the last in the group. Bell will hope that his women have already done enough to progress to the next stage by then. Colombia is ranked at 27 and if three points can be taken in that game, then Korea will be expected to defeat Morocco, preparing for its first World Cup, a fact that is reflected in a lowly ranking of 76 for the North Africans.

This will be Korea's fourth appearance and its third in succession. After getting to the second round in 2015, the experience in 2019 was much tougher. In France, there were three defeats in what was a very tough group against the host nation as well as Nigeria and Norway. This group looks more favorable and getting to the knockout stage is the target.

With preparations just getting underway for the women, the men are entering the final phase as they get ready for Qatar, which kicks off against Uruguay on Nov. 24, and then continues against Ghana and Portugal.

A final training camp has started at the National Football Center in Paju, featuring 27 Asian-based players who are staking their claims for a place in the 26-man roster, which will depart for Qatar on Nov. 14. With this camp not including Europe-based players such as Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae and Hwang Hee-chan, who are busy with their clubs, a fair number of the 27 are not going to make that plane to the Middle East.

The final chance to shine comes on Nov. 11 in a warm-up game against Iceland in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, a day before coach Paulo Bento names his roster. That will give the country a chance to say goodbye and farewell to the Taeguk Warriors as they go to compete at their 10th successive World Cup.

john.duerden@gmail.com