Hong Myung-bo, who is aiming to advance to the World Cup finals for the 11th time in a row, will try to win the first place in the qualifying group through an A-match in October.메이저놀이터

The South Korean men's national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will convene at Incheon International Airport at 11 p.m. on the 6th and leave for Jordan.

According to the Korea Football Association, eight players, including Oh Se-hoon (25, Machida Zelvia), Lee Dong-kyung (27, Kim Cheon-moo), Lee Myung-jae (31), Joo-kyu (34, Ulsan HD), Kim Joo-sung (24, FC Seoul), Hwang Moon-ki (28, Gangwon FC), and Kim Joon-hong (21, Jeonbuk Hyundai), will fly with Hong and others as main players.

Overseas players such as Kim Min-jae (28, Bayern Munich) are expected to join Jordan after their team's schedule.

Hong Myung-bo will play the third round of the Asian qualifying round for the '2026 FIFA North-China World Cup' against Jordan at Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan, at 11 p.m. on the 10th (Korea time).

After that, the team will play the fourth game against Iraq at 8 p.m. on the 15th at Yongin Mir Stadium.

South Korea currently ranks second in Group B.

It had one win and one draw (four points) in the first and second matches held in September. It tied 0-0 with Palestine (home) in its first match, and secured a 3-1 victory over Oman in an away match.

Jordan is at the top of Group B. The team shares the same point as Korea, but is ahead of Korea in terms of multiple points.

If South Korea wins two consecutive A matches this October, it will not only leap to the top of the group but also increase its chances of advancing to the target 11 consecutive World Cup finals.

The national team is adapting to new outfits. Coach Hong, who has been under controversy over fairness during his appointment, has not received full support from fans, but he is expected to show off his improved teamwork through the second call-up.

However, there is a negative factor that the team is not fully equipped. Son Heung-min (32), the "captain" of Tottenham, cannot join the team due to his injury. The team will play without Son for the first time in about a year since the match against Tunisia in October last year.

In the beginning, Hong included Son Heung-min in the 26-man A-match roster in October, but decided to exclude him because his injury did not recover quickly. The substitute is midfielder Hong Hyun-suk (25) who plays for Mainz in the German Bundesliga.

Son Heung-min, who played an active part in the A-match in September, was excluded, but the vacancy is expected to be minimized mainly by other main players such as Lee Kang-in (23, Paris Saint-Germain), Lee Jae-sung (32, Mainz), and Hwang In-beom (28, Feyenoord).

As head coach Hong said, "Plan B is ready," it is believed that he is planning to use Son Heung-min's position replacements such as Hwang Hee-chan (28, Wolverhampton), Bae Joon-ho (21, Stoke City), and Um Ji-sung (22, Swansea City) or change the formation.

Unlike September's A-match, which relied on the individual abilities of certain players such as Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, they have to play as a team.

Jordan is a team that gave South Korea a shock. The team showed its potential to draw against South Korea in the group league of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup, which ended in Qatar in February, and suffered a 0-2 defeat in the semifinals.

Although he has never lost in the past, he has recorded one draw and one loss in the Asian Cup alone.

The head coach has changed from former German coach Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany) to Hong, but it is not expected to be easy given that Son Heung-min is not there and it is an away game in Jordan.

Jordanian ace Moussa Altamari (Monfelier) and Yazan Al-Naimat (Al-Araibi) should be watched out.

Both players are currently in poor condition due to injury issues, but they showed strong performance against South Korea by scoring one goal each in the semifinals of the Asian Cup. With their unique movements, they can pose a threat to South Korea, which has yet to strengthen its organization.

Meanwhile, the team will return home the next day after the game against Jordan. Unlike joining Jordan individually, it will arrive at Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of July 11 by chartered plane.