'Son Heung-min likely to play in last major tournament' Asian Cup draw D-1, South Korea assigned to Pot 1

*This content was translated by AI.

The 2027 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup group stage draw is just one day away. This tournament is highly likely to be the last major competition Son Heung-min (34, LAFC) will play in while wearing the South Korean national team jersey, and it is also the event where South Korean football will challenge for the Asian title for the first time in 67 years.

The AFC will hold the 2027 AFC Asian Cup group stage draw at 3 a.m. (Korean time) on the 10th at the Salwa Palace in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. The draw, originally scheduled for last month, was postponed due to the geopolitical situation in the Middle East surrounding Iran.

The tournament, which kicks off next January and runs for about a month across three cities in Saudi Arabia at eight venues, will feature 24 teams from Asia. The draw will be conducted based on the April FIFA rankings, dividing teams into four pots (Pot 1 to Pot 4) with six teams each, and assigning one team from each pot to the same group. Saudi Arabia is automatically placed in Pot 1 and Group A as the host nation.

South Korea, ranked 25th in the April FIFA rankings, was assigned to Pot 1, the third-highest ranking in Asia. The other teams in the same pot are Saudi Arabia (61st, host nation), Japan (18th), Iran (21st), Australia (27th), and Uzbekistan (50th). Teams within the same pot cannot be drawn into the same group during the group stage.

Pot 2 includes Qatar (55th), Iraq (57th), Jordan (63rd), United Arab Emirates (UAE, 68th), Oman (79th), and Syria (84th). Pot 3 includes Bahrain (91st), Thailand (93rd), China (94th), Palestine (95th), Vietnam (99th), and Tajikistan (103rd). Pot 4 includes Kyrgyzstan (107th), North Korea (118th), Indonesia (122nd), Kuwait (134th), Singapore (147th), and either Lebanon (108th) or Yemen (149th), depending on the outcome of next month's final match of the third qualifying round for Group B.

South Korea, assigned to Pot 1, will be drawn into a group with one team each from Pots 2, 3, and 4. For example, South Korea could be drawn into a group with Qatar from Pot 2, China from Pot 3, and North Korea from Pot 4. The group stage will feature a single round-robin format, with the top two teams from each group and the four best third-placed teams among the six groups advancing to the round of 16 to determine the champion.

South Korean football has struggled to win the Asian Cup since its victories in the inaugural 1956 tournament and the second edition in 1960. A victory in the 2027 tournament would mark the first Asian Cup title in 67 years. At the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, which opened in January 2024 in Qatar, the team competed under German coach Jurgen Klinsmann but failed to challenge for the title after losing to Jordan in the semifinals. Despite being evaluated as having exceptional strength, the team faced criticism over Klinsmann's tactics, and controversy even arose when reports emerged about internal conflicts within the national team, including a clash between Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) just before the semifinals.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, which is just one month away, widely considered to be Son Heung-min's "World Cup last dance," the Asian Cup next year is highly likely to be his final major tournament with the national team. Son Heung-min has participated in the Asian Cup since the 2011 edition and is set to make his fifth appearance. For now, it is highly probable that the team will be led by coach Hong Myung-bo. The Korea Football Association announced last July that Hong's contract would extend until the Asian Cup in January next year.

- Pot 1: Saudi Arabia (61, host nation) Japan (18) Iran (21) South Korea (25) Australia (27) Uzbekistan (50)

- Pot 2: Qatar (55) Iraq (57) Jordan (63) United Arab Emirates (UAE, 68) Oman (79) Syria (84)

- Pot 3: Bahrain (91) Thailand (93) China (94) Palestine (95) Vietnam (99) Tajikistan (103)

- Pot 4: Kyrgyzstan (107) North Korea (118) Indonesia (122) Kuwait (134) Singapore (147) Lebanon (108) or Yemen (149)

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*This content was translated by AI.