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| Korea's Son Heung-min controls the ball during the final round of the country's Asian zone group A qualifying match against United Arab Emirates for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, at Goyang stadium in Goyang, Nov. 11, 2021. Korea will face Brazil, Chile and Paraguay in men's football friendly matches in June at home. AP-Yonhap |
Korea will face Brazil, Chile and Paraguay in men's football friendly matches in June at home, the sport's national federation announced Wednesday, as the Taeguk Warriors gear up for this year's FIFA World Cup.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) said Korea will host Brazil on June 2, Chile on June 6 and Paraguay on June 10, giving fans a chance to see international stars, such as Neymar for Brazil and Arturo Vidal for Chile.
The Brazil match will be played at Seoul World Cup Stadium in the nation's capital but the kickoff time has not been set. Venues for the two other games will be determined later, the KFA added.
Korea will play another friendly match on June 14, which also falls inside the FIFA international match window, and the KFA will announce the opponent for that match at a later date.
Brazil, world No. 1, own the most World Cup titles with five and are they only team to have played at every World Cup to date. Korea, ranked 29th, have one win and five losses in six previous meetings against Brazil. They let met in 2019 in a friendly in the United Arab Emirates, with Brazil coming out on top 3-0.
Chile, one spot above Korea in the FIFA rankings, missed out on the World Cup this time. The two countries have met twice so far, with one draw and one loss in the books.
Paraguay, world No. 50, also failed to qualify for the World Cup. Korea have put up two wins, three draws and one loss against Paraguay.
Korea have mostly played Asian opponents and lower-ranked European teams over the past year or so, with the COVID-19 pandemic limiting traveling opportunities. The KFA said the upcoming matches will allow Korea to see how they stack up against highly skilled teams and help the country's preparation for the World Cup in Qatar.
Korea will play out of Group H against Portugal, Uruguay and Ghana.
This will be Korea's 10th consecutive World Cup appearance. They have advanced to the knockout phase twice: the semifinals in 2002 as co-hosts with Japan and the round of 16 in 2020 in South Africa. (Yonhap)
