Nat'l football team looking to end year on winning note vs. Qatar

DOHA — The men's national football team will try to end 2026 on a winning note when they face Qatar in their final friendly match of the year this week.

The match between 32nd-ranked South Korea and world No. 60 Qatar at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha will kick off at 5 p.m. Tuesday (local time), or 11 p.m. Tuesday (South Korean time).

This will be the last international match in 2026 for South Korea, as they try to pick up the pieces following a 3-2 loss to 55th-ranked Saudi Arabia last Friday.

South Korea never led in that loss — their first against Saudi Arabia since 2005 — and missed a slew of opportunities in the second half to at least get a draw. After the match, Robert Moreno, caretaker manager for South Korea, said the team had to improve "in every aspect."

Tuesday's match is Moreno's sixth and likely his last one for South Korea. The Spanish tactician was hired in early September to replace Hong Myung-bo, who had resigned at the end of June in light of an early World Cup exit. Instead of rushing to find a successor to Hong, the Korea Football Association (KFA) brought in Moreno on a two-month contract for the six friendlies from September to November and bought some time in its search for a full-time bench boss for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, originally scheduled for January 2027 in Saudi Arabia.

At the time of his appointment, the KFA said Moreno would be considered for an extension through the Asian Cup, depending on South Korea's performances in Moreno's first six matches in charge.

However, the AFC has since postponed its showpiece tournament to December 2027, citing security concerns in the host country. This makes Moreno's future even more uncertain, and considering how inconsistent the Taegeuk Warriors have been on his watch, he likely would not have been kept around beyond this month anyway.

South Korea opened Moreno's tenure with a 3-0 win over Ecuador on Sept. 24 but lost to Uruguay 4-1 four days later. It was followed by a goalless draw against Venezuela on Oct. 2, after which defender Kim Min-jae called out his teammates for their lack of effort.

South Korea beat Uzbekistan 2-0 on Oct. 6, but the victory was marred by what transpired in the aftermath. Kim and two other 30-year-old veterans, Hwang In-beom and Hwang Hee-chan, threatened to retire from international play over their discontent with the team's leadership group, including longtime captain Son Heung-min and his fellow 34-year-old Lee Jae-sung.

The controversy divided football fans, one group siding with Son and older players, and another backing the younger group and calling on Son to cede his armband after more than eight years as skipper. The KFA even issued a statement urging fans to refrain from launching personal attacks on the five players.

Then last Thursday, the five issued a joint statement to claim that they had put their differences behind them and they were ready to move forward.

All five players saw action against Saudi Arabia. Lee, who was subbed in during the second half, scored South Korea's second goal on Hwang Hee-chan's assist.

Hwang nearly connected with Son for a goal in the first half, too, but Son misfired on that chance, along with other opportunities throughout the match.

Under Moreno, the South Korean players have not been fast or precise enough with their buildup plays, and they have been inefficient with their pressing. It will bear watching if the team will have made any improvement in those areas, or if Moreno, who has stuck with a 4-4-2 formation, will make any tactical changes.