*This content was translated by AI.
While one of the two consecutive matches between the South Korean national soccer team in March has been confirmed to be Austria, the possibility of the African Ivory Coast is being raised again and again locally as the remaining opponent.
Local media such as African media Foot Aprique 24 and Foot Aktu 24 reported on the 27th (Korea Standard Time) the possibility of a warm-up match between Korea and Ivory Coast in March. Earlier, another local media outlet, LifeMacCI, also mentioned the possibility of a warm-up match between the two teams.
According to reports, the Ivory Coast team is seeking to hold two consecutive warm-up matches with Scotland and South Korea through warm-up matches in March. The warm-up match between Ivory Coast and Scotland has already been officially announced at the association level, and the common local report is that South Korea is likely to be the remaining opponent.
"If we play a warm-up match with South Korea, the level of demand will increase in terms of the speed of the game, transition, and tactical discipline," Foot Aprique 24 said. "South Korea is a team that is familiar with the big stage and can punish even minor mistakes without mercy. "Through the two consecutive warm-up matches against South Korea and Scotland, the Ivory Coast team will be put to a real test," he predicted.
Hong Myung-bo, who is preparing for the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup, has already been confirmed as Austria's opponent in the warm-up match in March. On April 1, at 3:45 a.m., he will face Austria in Vienna, Austria. The match against Austria is in preparation for the winner of the UEFA Playoff (PO) Pass D (Denmark, Czech Republic, Ireland, and North Macedonia), which will be in Group A of the World Cup finals in the future. South Korea is ranked 22nd and Austria 24th in the FIFA rankings.
While teams that advance to the World Cup finals have been confirmed not only in March but also in June, Korea's remaining opponent in March is still undecided. It is the first time in two and a half years that they are on the road to Europe, but it is not easy for strong European teams to find an opponent early in the two consecutive warm-up matches or on the road to another continent. In the end, the possibility of a neutral warm-up match with the African team was raised, and the possibility of a warm-up match with South Korea and Ivory Coast has been repeated, centering on local media.
Just in time, it is possible for Korea and Ivory Coast to face off on the schedule. When Korea plays Austria, Ivory Coast plays Scotland in Liverpool, England. Both teams will stay in Europe during the A-match period in March, and the first warm-up match of the two consecutive A-match schedules in March remains blank. Ivory Coast will not meet the Asian team in the World Cup finals, but for Hong Myung-bo, it could be a warm-up match against the African team in preparation for South Africa, the opponent of the World Cup finals. Ivory Coast is ranked 37th in the FIFA rankings, while South Africa is ranked 60th.
If the exhibition match against Ivory Coast is actually held, it will be the first time in 16 years since the first exhibition match in London in 2010. At that time, Lee Dong-guk and Kwak Tae-hwi won 2-0 with consecutive goals. Ivory Coast played in three consecutive World Cup finals from the 2006 World Cup in Germany to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but all were eliminated from the group stage. North American World Cup is the first finals stage in 12 years.
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*This content was translated by AI.
