Team Korea officially embarks on 2026 World Cup preparations

Members of the Korean men's national football team train in Paju, Sunday. Yonhap

Qualifying for the World Cup should never be taken for granted. For South Korea to do so 11 times successively is impressive. Only four countries — Brazil, Argentina, Spain and Germany — have a longer streak of appearances. Last Thursday, the Taeguk Warriors won 2-0 in Iraq to secure their spot for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

That win means Tuesday’s game against Kuwait at Seoul World Cup Stadium is both a celebration of a successful journey that has taken 18 months and 15 games, and the start of official preparations for the tournament itself. Unfortunately for both teams, Kuwait is at the bottom of the group and has nothing to play for, so the game may not be as competitive as coach Hong Myung-bo would like.

"We will try our best in that match. And it's an opportunity for us to test young guys who may be able to play at the World Cup next year," Hong said. "We won't have too many opportunities like this. It's one thing for those guys to watch from the bench and quite another for them to play.

"From this moment on, everything we do will be geared toward preparing for the World Cup."

The experience in Iraq will have helped. In fact, the trip to Basra was a little bit easier than many expected. The atmosphere was intense, with 60,000 fans. There were some wild and frenetic challenges early in the game, and it came to a head after 25 minutes when striker Ali Al-Hamadi was shown a red card for a high kick that connected with the face of defender Cho Yu-min.

"I expected this to be a difficult match, and even as it began, I judged that it wouldn't be easy," Hong said. "But once the opposing team had a player sent off, we were able to take control of the game. Ultimately, we capitalized on the man advantage, created scoring opportunities and secured the win.”

Kim Jin-gyu and Oh Hyeon-gyu netted second-half goals for South Korea.

It has not been a smooth ride for the team. Hong’s appointment last summer was surrounded by controversy. Under his coaching, on-field performances have been fine but not spectacular.

However, Hong has 12 months remaining before the World Cup to try and stamp his identity on the team and build something. The first step has been taken, but there is a long way to go and a lot of work to do.