Led by trophy-winning stars, S. Korea looking to grab World Cup berth in penultimate qualifying match

Both of the following statements are true. In the third round of the Asian qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, South Korea have not played particularly well, having settled for uninspiring draws against underdogs. They are still leading Group B with an undefeated record, which has put them a point away from punching their ticket to the big tournament.

And the Taegeuk Warriors will look to do just that this week when they visit Iraq for their second-to-last match of the ongoing phase.

The match between 23rd-ranked South Korea and 59th-ranked Iraq will kick off at Basra International Stadium in Basra, southern Iraq, at 9:15 p.m. Thursday (3:15 a.m. Friday, South Korean time).

Coached by Hong Myung-bo, South Korea are sitting atop Group B with 16 points from four wins and four draws, three points ahead of Jordan with two matches to go. Iraq are in third place with 12 points.

The top two teams from each of the three groups at the conclusion of the third round will grab their World Cup spots. The third- and fourth-place teams from those three groups will move on to play in the fourth round.

South Korea have played at every World Cup since 1986 and can extend that streak if they take at least a draw against Iraq.

If South Korea move to at least 17 points, they will be assured of at least second place in Group B, regardless of the results on the final matchday on June 10.

A win to celebrate another trip to the World Cup would be nice, but it may be asking too much of a team coming off three consecutive 1-1 draws.

It began with a stalemate against Palestine in November 2024. South Korea then played underdogs Oman and Jordan to 1-1 draws at home in March, squandering a prime opportunity to qualify for the World Cup in front of home supporters and instead hearing a smattering of boos.

South Korea defeated Iraq 3-2 in their first meeting in October last year. Iraq are the only team to have scored multiple goals against South Korea in this round.

South Korea will turn to a pair of Europe-based stars fresh off winning big continental trophies, hoping their championship vibes will rub off on the rest of the squad.

South Korean icon Son Heung-min captained Tottenham Hotspur to the UEFA Europa League title over Manchester United on May 21, the Premier League club’s first trophy in 17 years and Son’s first in his 15-year European career.

Then on May 31, Lee Kang-in and his Paris Saint-Germain won their first UEFA Champions League title, with a 5-0 rout of Inter Milan. Though Lee did not play in the final, he celebrated as hard as anyone who played.

The Iraq match comes at a challenging juncture for Hong and his staff from a team-building standpoint. Hong did not select as many Europe-based players as he normally does — nine on this squad, compared with about a dozen or so on earlier teams — because some of them have been idle since the start of May after their club seasons wrapped up. The group includes Bae Jun-ho of Stoke City and Yang Min-hyeok of Queens Park Rangers, a pair of young and talented attackers who had both been called up for the March matches.

Hong filled their spots with K League 1 players who are currently in the middle of their club campaigns. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors forward Jeon Jin-woo, the K League 1′s top scorer with 11 goals in 17 matches this season, leads that group. This is Jeon’s first call-up to the senior national team.

Hong has also praised the recent performance of midfielder Kim Jin-gyu, Jeon’s Jeonbuk teammate. Kim last played for South Korea in July 2022 at the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship, a tournament mostly reserved for K Leaguers, as it is played during the offseason for European leagues.

On defense, South Korea will be without Bayern Munich center back Kim Min-jae, who has been dealing with Achilles tendinitis for most of the season. And Hong has been left with an inexperienced group: Of the 10 defenders selected, only Kwon Kyung-won of Khor Fakkan and Seol Young-woo of FK Crvena zvezda have logged more than 20 caps.

South Korea will be in good shape in goal with the reigning K League 1 MVP Jo Hyeon-woo in charge once again, but he could certainly use more offensive support than the one-goal output he has received in each of his past three starts.