"The final entry of the World Cup will be outlined." Hong Myung-bo is scheduled to announce the list of "Hong Myung-bo Team warm-up matches."

*This content was translated by AI.

• Press conference to announce the list at 2 p.m. on the 16thCôte d'Ivoire - Clash with Austria

The list of the warm-up matches for the South Korean national soccer team in March, which is preparing for the 2026 FIFA 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup, will be announced. It is likely to be the last warm-up match before the World Cup, so the outline of the final entry for the World Cup is expected to be revealed.

Coach Hong Myung-bo will hold a press conference at 2 p.m. on the 16th at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do, and announce the list of 26 national soccer teams to play in the away matches in Ivory Coast and Austria in March. The match against Ivory Coast will be held at 11 p.m. on the 28th (Korea Standard Time) in Milton Keynes, England, and the match against Austria will be held at 3:45 a.m. on the 1st of next month in Vienna, Austria.

With the Hong Myung-bo Team schedule yet to be official after the warm-up match in March, the two consecutive warm-up matches are likely to be Hong Myung-bo Team's last warm-up match before the announcement of the final entry for the World Cup scheduled for May next year. Although there were some differences in each World Cup, Hong Myung-bo Team's schedule to head to Mexico, a showdown site, immediately before the World Cup, after announcing the final entry for the World Cup after the warm-up match.

During the 2018 FIFA Russia World Cup, coach Shin Tae-yong announced the list of 28 national teams first, more than the final entry in mid-May after the warm-up match in March. After going through two warm-up matches in Korea, they selected a final list of 23 players and played two consecutive warm-up matches in Europe. During the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup held in winter, coach Paulo Bento (Portugal) also announced the final entry the next day after setting up a national team centered on the domestic team and playing the final warm-up match against Iceland, which also served as a World Cup opening ceremony.

However, after announcing the final entry, Hong Myung-bo Team is likely to quickly head to Mexico, the showdown site, without a domestic appearance ceremony. This is because the first game of the World Cup is held faster than other teams as they belong to Group A of the World Cup, so the local adaptation and World Cup preparation period is shorter. In fact, South Korea's first group match in 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup, which will face the winner of the UEFA playoff pass D (Denmark, Czech Republic, Ireland, and North Macedonia), will be the next match of the official opening match between Mexico and South Africa. Due to the schedule, only one final warm-up match before the World Cup can be played locally.

Therefore, the list of Hong Myung-bo Team to be announced this time is likely to be the last list before the final entry is announced. Players who are likely to join the final entry of the World Cup are the last opportunity to refine their tactics and organization, and they will be put to the final test for players who are still in a fierce competition.

As the best must be called up, not only front-line offensive resources such as Son Heung-min (Los Angeles FC), Oh Hyun-kyu (Besiktashi), and Cho Kyu-sung (Mit Willan) but also second-line offensive resources from overseas, including Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), and Lee Jae-sung (Mainz05) have become a fact. K League 1 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Lee Dong-kyung (Ulsan HD), who was excluded from the call-up in November last year due to the injury, is also likely to be re-appointed for now.

On top of that, there is a slim possibility of change in the goalkeeper team consisting of Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Park Jin-seop (storage FC), Cho Yoo-min (Sarja FC), and Lee Han-beom (Mit Willan), Lee Tae-seok (Austria Vienna), Seol Young-woo (Trvena Zvezda), and Lee Myung-jae Kim Moon-hwan (Daejeon Hana Citizen) fullback, Kim Seung-gyu (FC Tokyo) and Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan) and Song Bum-keun (Jeonbuk Hyundai). For the defense, Kim Joo-sung (Sanfrecce Hiroshima) or Kim Tae-hyun (Kashima Antlers) are competing.

Coach Hong Myung-bo's biggest concern is the midfield and second-tier resources. Kim Jin-kyu (Jeonbuk), who has recently gained the trust of head coach Hong Myung-bo, is also likely to be on board, focusing on overseas players such as Hwang In-beom (Lung Yenot), Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City), and Jens Kastrov (Mönchengladbach), and attention is focusing on who will receive a new opportunity amid a series of injuries to Park Yong-woo (Al-Ain) and Won Doo-jae (Korpakan). Kwon Hyuk-kyu (Carlsruhe) and Seo Min-woo (Gangwon FC), who were selected as a surprise on board or as a substitute in November last year, may be put to the test again, or a new K-League, which caught the attention of Hong Myung-bo Team coaches, may receive a surprise opportunity three months before the World Cup.

The second-line side is also a position where head coach Hong Myung-bo is deeply concerned. While Um Ji-sung (Swansea City) and Yang Min-hyuk (Coventry City) and Bae Joon-ho (Stoke City) were both put to the test in November last year, Yang Min-hyuk has not been able to play in his team at all recently, and Um Ji-sung's last offensive point in January can be a concern for Hong. In the meantime, attention is drawn to the fact that Yang Hyun-joon (Celtic) has recently played multi-goal, and the fact that he has been shunned by coach Hong Myung-bo since the World Cup qualifying round in June last year could be a variable.

Coach Hong Myung-bo is expected to explain not only the list of the national team but also the remaining schedule after the warm-up match in March. Players who are called by head coach Hong Myung-bo will gather at Incheon International Airport on the 23rd without domestic convocation training and immediately leave the UK. Overseas players will also join the team locally after completing their team's schedule. The match against Ivory Coast is meaningful compared to South Africa and the match against Austria is meaningful compared to the winner of the UEFA Playoff Pass D. The FIFA ranking is 22nd, higher than Ivory Coast (37th) and Austria (24th).

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*This content was translated by AI.