World Cup ticket within reach; S. Korea coach not about to push banged-up Son Heung-min

With his team closing in on a spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo said Monday he will not push his banged-up captain Son Heung-min too hard in the upcoming qualifying matches.

South Korea, 23rd in the FIFA rankings, will take on 59th-ranked Iraq at Basra International Stadium in the southern Iraqi city of Basra at 9:15 p.m. Thursday (3:15 a.m. Friday, South Korean time).

In the third round of the Asian qualifiers, South Korea are leading Group B with 16 points from four wins and four draws. With two matches remaining, they are three points ahead of Jordan and four above Jordan.

South Korea only need one more point to punch their ticket to the World Cup. If they don’t get it done this week, South Korea will have another chance against Kuwait in Seoul on June 10.

And Hong said Son, who has just returned from a foot injury, will be used conservatively over the next two matches.

Son missed about a month, from mid-April to mid-May, with that injury. He played limited minutes for Tottenham Hotspur when they defeated Manchester United for the UEFA Europa League title on May 21.

“He and I have not yet discussed exactly how much he will play. But my staff and I already know all about his drive and his desire to play,” Hong told reporters at Incheon International Airport, just west of Seoul, before departing for Iraq. “Since we have two matches coming up (to try to qualify for the World Cup), I will not push him too hard. Once we get to Iraq, we will decide which of the two matches we will focus on.”

Even if Son doesn’t play big minutes in Iraq this week, Hong said veterans, such as Son, can also help the team in other areas.

“We will probably play in a hostile environment in front of partisan fans,” the coach said. “We have some players who have had experience playing in these situations. It’s something we should keep in mind going into the stadium for this match.”

When unveiling his 26-man squad last Monday, Hong said he had left out some Europe-based players because they had been idle since their club seasons ended in early May and because he felt players in the domestic K League 1, currently in the middle of the season, would bring more to the table.

Hong noted that he isn’t as concerned about the players he did select from European clubs, including Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers, because they have remained sharp through their club or individual training.

Lee and PSG won the UEFA Champions League title Saturday. Though Lee didn’t play, he took part in PSG training sessions right up until the big final.

“I don’t think players like Hwang Hee-chan and Lee Kang-in will have any conditioning issues,” Hong said. “Over the next couple of days, we will have to decide how to incorporate those players into our lineup.”