Internal competition starts for Korean youngsters in final World Cup qualifier

Son Heung-min, left, and Bae Jun-ho, center, of the Korean men's national football team train for a World Cup qualifying match against Kuwait at the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, June 8. Yonhap

Since Korea have already secured their spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, their one remaining qualifying match against Kuwait, scheduled for Tuesday night in Seoul, may not mean much to some players.

But for up-and-comers trying to play their way onto the World Cup squad next year, there will be plenty at stake, for this match will signal the start of their internal competition.

Korea will close out Group B play in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers by hosting Kuwait at Seoul World Cup Stadium, starting at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Coached by Hong Myung-bo, Korea grabbed their World Cup berth with a 2-0 away victory over Iraq last Thursday. The Taegeuk Warriors improved to 19 points to stay atop the Group B tables, three points ahead of Jordan. With the top two teams from each of the three groups in the third round qualifying for the World Cup, the win over Iraq ensured that Korea will not finish lower than second regardless of how they fare against Kuwait.

Korea, ranked 23rd, will be heavily favored over 134th-ranked Kuwait. Korea won the two teams' previous meeting in last November by 3-1, with a goal each by Oh Se-hun, Son Heung-min and Bae Jun-ho.

Son, still not fully recovered from a nagging foot injury, was left off the squad list entirely against Iraq. After returning home from Iraq on Friday, Hong hinted that Son may also sit out the Kuwait match, since it wasn't necessary to push the longtime captain with the World Cup ticket already booked.

Son's absence will open the door for others, including Oh and Bae, to play extended minutes. And Hong said Friday that the Kuwait match will present an opportunity to test young and mostly unproven players in the national team setting.

"We won't have too many opportunities like this (before the World Cup). It's one thing for those guys to watch from the bench and quite another for them to play," Hong said. "With our current group, whether it's on defense or offense, we can absolutely put together a lineup with young players."

Of the 26 players initially selected on May 26, seven players were born in the 2000s and 14 players have fewer than 10 caps.

Then on Saturday, Hong plucked the 21-year-old Bae off the under-22 national team's training camp. Bae, attacking midfielder for Stoke City, has scored twice in seven senior international matches, while also making an impression with his aggressive forays into the attacking zone.

Jeon Jin-woo, who recorded an assist in his senior national team debut against Iraq at age 25, is another midfielder expected to see significant minutes against Kuwait.

Korean players train for a World Cup qualifying match against Kuwait at the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, June 8. Yonhap

Oh, 26, scored twice earlier in the third round but the forward has been held goalless in his past four appearances. Oh Hyeon-gyu, 24, converted Jeon's pass for Korea's second goal against Iraq, and the opportunistic striker now has three goals in the third round so far.

On defense, the 26-year-old Choi Jun made his senior international debut as a second-half substitute against Iraq and could be in line for a start Tuesday. Cho Hyun-taek, 23, and Lee Han-beom, 22, are now the only two defenders remaining on this squad without a cap.

In goal, Jo Hyeon-woo has played all nine matches of the third round so far, while his two backups, Lee Chang-geun (one cap) and Kim Dong-heon (zero), are biding their time.

While young players on the field battle hard to leave an impression on the coaching staff, supporters in the stands will celebrate Korea's World Cup qualification with a card stunt.

The Korea Football Association said fans attending the match will raise cards to create the words "We Daehan," with Daehan being a poetic contraction for Daehanminguk, the Korean name for the country's official name, Republic of Korea. When put together as a single word, "wedaehan" translates to "great."

Before kickoff, fans will welcome players onto the field by singing the national team's cheer song, "Go West" — a Village People disco single turned into a global hit by the Pet Shop Boys — to the sound of the trumpet section by the Red Devils, the official national team supporters group.

After the match, synth-pop group Glen Check will perform with players reentering the stadium to celebrate their accomplishment with their fans.