Korea to play Ivory Coast in pre-World Cup away friendly
Korean players acknowledge fans after beating Ghana in a friendly football match at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul, Nov. 18, 2025. Yonhap
Korea will take on Ivory Coast in an away friendly match next month to prepare for the FIFA World Cup, the national football federation announced Tuesday.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) said Korea and Ivory Coast will meet at a yet-to-be-determined venue near London at 2 p.m. on March 28. It will be the first of two matches for Korea during the March 23-31 FIFA international match window.
The KFA announced back in January that Korea will play Austria in Vienna at 8:45 p.m. on March 31.
At the World Cup, Korea, coached by Hong Myung-bo, will face Mexico, South Africa and a European playoff winner to be decided in March. The KFA had been seeking to schedule a match against an African opponent and Ivory Coast, world No. 37 also headed to the World Cup, will fit the bill.
Korea, 22nd in the FIFA rankings, and Ivory Coast have faced each other once, with Korea prevailing 2-0 in a friendly in London in March 2010.