Hong Myung-bo Team Finally, the World Cup Showcase will face Kangho, the 'No. 1 African Qualifier'... "Getting the results and contents"

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will begin to distinguish the final jade stone for the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup finals, which is about three months away. In fact, the two consecutive away games in Europe, which will be the last test before the final entry is confirmed, are expected to be a watershed to confirm the competitiveness of the national team in the finals.

The South Korean national soccer team will play a warm-up match against Ivory Coast at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, England, at 11 p.m. on the 28th (Korea Standard Time). Then, at 3:45 a.m. on the 1st of next month, he will move to Vienna, Austria, for a second match against Austria.

The two consecutive A matches in March are likely to be the last mock test before the announcement of the final list scheduled for May next year. In particular, the match against Ivory Coast is a sparring partner targeting South Africa, which will meet in the group stage of the North-China World Cup finals. The plan is to check the competitiveness of the finals by experiencing Africa's unique soccer style with explosive speed and solid physicality in advance.

The opponent's Ivory Coast's strength is not easy. Ivory Coast won a direct ticket to the finals with an overwhelming 8 wins, 2 draws and no losses in Group F of the World Cup Africa qualifying tournament. In particular, the iron wall defense, which boasts 25 goals in 10 games but does not concede a single goal, stands out. It is ranked 37th in the FIFA rankings, below South Korea (22nd), but it deserves to be considered an objectively stronger opponent than South Africa, which is ranked 60th.

Another threat is that as many as 24 out of the 25 members of the convocation list are elite members who will travel to Europe. Ahmad Diallo (Manchester United) and Evan Gesang (Crystal Palace) of the English Premier League (EPL) are key strikers, while Ibrahim Sangare (Nottingham Forest) is responsible for the midfield. Frank Kesier (Al Ahli), the only non-European player, has a reputation as a quality midfielder who has played for AC Milan and FC Barcelona.

Coach Hong Myung-bo said at a press conference to announce the list at the Cheonan Football Center on the 16th, "We have not yet confirmed the final list of the World Cup. "We will select the player who is in the best performance and physical condition just before the finals," he said. "The results and contents of this game are important, but the key is to understand how competitive we can be in the finals."

Looking at past cases, the March warm-up match was a decisive time when the final entry was outlined. Both Shin Tae-yong, head coach of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, and Paulo Bento, head coach of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, have confirmed the final list after sorting out their core power starting in March. In response, head coach Hong Myung-bo said, "Position competitiveness is the most important thing. "If you show good performance, anyone can come back into the national team," he said, throwing a strong message to the players.

In addition, the peculiarity of this Ivory Coast match is the implementation of the hydration brake. The Korea Football Association said it will introduce the rule, which applies to all North Korea-China World Cup games, as it is in this warm-up match. The break, which is given for three minutes regardless of the weather after 22 minutes in the first half and the second half, is a measure to help the players fully adapt to the environment of the finals.

One of the biggest tactical topics is the combination of frontline attacks. Coach Hong Myung-bo is deeply agonizing over how to use Son Heung-min (Los Angeles FC) and Oh Hyun-kyu (Besiktashi JK). Unlike Son Heung-min, who has been silent on scoring while playing the role of a playmaker in his team, Oh Hyun-kyu is showing off his peak sense of goal, including the first three consecutive goals in the club's history in 123 years since moving to Turkiye. In response, head coach Hong Myung-bo said, "Nothing has been decided yet. We will use it depending on the situation, and we are considering ways to maximize the strengths of all players," he said.

The composition of the midfield became an experimental venue due to injury variables. Park Yong-woo and Won Doo-jae were dropped due to injuries, and even key Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) was injured, putting them on alert. Coach Hong Myung-bo said, "The central midfielder should find a combination," and plans to test Park Jin-seop (Soojung FC)'s use of the two-volanch and Kwon Hyuk-kyu's use of the right to provide.

In particular, it is notable that Jens Kastrov (Mönchengladbach), who has been classified as a defensive midfielder, was deployed as a defender in this call-up. Another point to watch is how the change of Castro's position, who transformed from his team to wingback and won the Player of the Month award in March, will bring about changes in the national team's defense line.

The competition for wings on the right side is also fierce. Yang Hyun-joon, who made a leap as an ace by scoring eight goals this season for Celtic, returned after a nine-month absence, sparking competition for the main player. Coach Hong Myung-bo said, "Yang Hyun-joon is maintaining a much better performance than before. He hinted at the possibility of a tactical change, saying that his concentration on offense, such as a one-on-one breakthrough, is impressive, so he may change the composition on the right side.

As the March list has actually been the main body of the finals, as in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the match against Ivory Coast is expected to confirm the overall competitiveness of the World Cup finals. Meanwhile, South Korea will meet the final winner of the European Playoff Pass D, where Denmark and the Czech Republic advanced to the final, in the first match of the finals.

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*This content was translated by AI.