Hong Myung-bo Team World Cup's first opponent, Denmark's 'strongest'... North Macedonia 4-0 rout → European PO final first come first served

*This content was translated by AI.

The first opponent of the South Korean national soccer team's 2026 FIFA 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup finals, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, has been narrowed down to three teams: Denmark, Ireland and the Czech Republic. Hong Myung-bo Team will play its first group match against the winner of the European Playoff (PO) Pass D at 11 a.m. on June 12 (Korea time). Of the four countries in Pass D, Denmark came first to the finals, while Ireland and the Czech Republic went into extra time after a bloody battle.

Denmark defeated North Macedonia 4-0 at 4:45 a.m. on the 27th in the UEFA semifinals of the 2026 FIFA 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup qualifying round in Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Denmark, which finished the first half with a tight 0-0 score, focused its firepower in the second half. Mikel Damsgaard (Brentford) opened the scoring in the fourth minute of the second half, and Gustav Isaksen (Raccio) scored multiple goals in the 13th and 14th minutes of the second half. Then, in the 30th minute of the second half, Christian Neurgor (Arnall) scored a net to complete the great victory.

At the same time, the semi-final match between Ireland and the Czech Republic at Fortuna Arena in Prague ended in a 2–2 draw in the 90th minute of the first half after a fierce battle. Ireland led 2-0 in the 19th minute by combining Troy Parrott (AZ Alkmaar)'s penalty kick first goal and the opposing goalkeeper's own goal in the 23rd minute of the first half. However, the Czech Republic's counterattack was also fierce. The Czech Republic, which started its pursuit in the 27th minute of the first half with Patric Sikh (Bayer Leverkusen) scoring a penalty comeback goal, balanced the game with Radislav Krejic (Wolverhampton Wanderers)' dramatic equalizer in the 41st minute of the second half. The two teams will immediately play the final game for the ticket to the finals in overtime.

A total of 16 teams participated in the UEFA playoffs, including 12 countries ranked second in each European qualifying group and four countries based on Nations League performance. They will be divided into four passes of four teams to play the tournament, and only the final winner of each pass will qualify for the World Cup finals. Among them, Pass D is receiving the most attention as the place where Korea's first opponent in the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup finals will be decided.

Denmark ranks 21st in the FIFA rankings and is considered the most likely candidate to advance to the World Cup finals in Pass D. Veteran players such as Christian Eriksen (Wolfsburg) and Pierre-Emile Hoibier (Marceu) are in the midfield, while Neungor, Damsgor and Rasmus Hoyleun (Napoli) are active as key players. In response, Ireland puts Parrott's scoring ability and solid defense centered on players playing in the English Premier League (EPL), such as Quibin Kelleher (Brentford) and Jake O'Brien (Everton). The Czech Republic is also aiming to go to the reverse finals with luxury lineups such as Sik, Tomasz Soucek (West Ham United), and Vladimir Coufal (Hopenheim).

North Macedonia, which was eliminated in the semifinals, was an ambush with big leaguers such as Elif Elmas (Napoli) and Stole Dimitrievsky (Valencia). He showed a strong performance, including two draws with Belgium in the preliminary round, but failed to cross Denmark's wall in the end.

As a result, Hong Myung-bo Team's first opponent in 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup was narrowed down to the winner of the Denmark-Ireland-Czech match. The final winner of Pass D will be determined in the final match, which will be held as a single match on April 1.

Hong Myung-bo Team is staying in Europe for two straight A matches against Ivory Coast on the 28th and Austria on the 1st. Hong Myung-bo Team's coaching staff and analysts are known to visit the UEFA playoff site in person to closely analyze the power of their opponents.

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*This content was translated by AI.