Hong Myung-bo's team departs for Iraq seeking World Cup qualification

The South Korea national football team is set to depart for Iraq.

The team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will depart for Iraq on a charter flight from Incheon International Airport at 11 a.m. on the 2nd.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced that 21 of the 26 players, including Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), will depart with Coach Hong on that day.

Players from the Middle Eastern leagues such as Kwon Kyung-won, Won Du-jae (both from Kortrijk), Jo Yu-min (Sharjah), and Park Yong-woo (Al Ain) will not return home but will join the team on-site.

On the 1st, Lee Kang-in, who won the 2025-2026 UEFA Champions League (UCL), will move from France to Iraq to join the team on the 3rd.

The team will play against Iraq in the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Asian third qualifying round, Group B, at 3:15 a.m. (Korea time) on the 6th. They are expected to use a charter flight for their return as well.

South Korea is leading Group B with 4 wins, 4 draws, and 16 points. Jordan is in second place with 13 points, and Iraq is third with 12 points.

Hong Myung-bo's team will secure its spot in the finals for the 11th consecutive time by adding just 1 point in the remaining 2 matches. They need to at least draw the match against Iraq.

The KFA has implemented safety measures, including minimizing the number of personnel, considering that Iraq is designated as a travel-restricted country by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Coach Hong noted during the squad announcement press conference on the 27th of last month, "We selected players considering the hot weather, physical burdens, and preparation time. Iraq is a strong team at home. Since hot weather is expected, we will carefully manage player stamina and substitution timing. It is difficult to predict which players will come out as Iraq has recently changed their coach, but we will respond as well as possible."

After securing a spot in the finals during the match against Iraq, the team will play its final qualifying match against Kuwait at 8 p.m. on the 10th at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

June A-match 26-player roster

GK: Jo Hyun-woo (Ulsan), Kim Dong-hyun (Gimcheon), Lee Chang-geun (Daejeon)

DF: Jo Yu-min (Sharjah), Kwon Kyung-won (Kortrijk), Lee Han-beom (Midtjylland), Choi Jun, Kim Joo-sung (both from Seoul), Park Seung-uk, Jo Hyun-taek (both from Gimcheon), Seol Young-woo (Red Star Belgrade), Lee Tae-seok (Pohang),

MF: Park Yong-woo (Al Ain), Park Jin-seob, Jeon Jin-woo, Kim Jin-kyu (all from Jeonbuk), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Won Du-jae (Kortrijk), Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Mun Sun-min (Seoul), Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic), Lee Kang-in (PSG)

FW: Oh Hyun-kyu (Genk), Oh Se-hoon (Machida Zelvia)

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