Will news come in confirming qualification for the World Cup?

The South Korean national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, will play Iraq in the 9th match of Group B of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers on the morning of the 6th at 3:15 a.m. (Korea time) at the Basra International Stadium in Basra, Iraq.

Following Lee Kang-in's arrival on the 3rd after winning the UEFA Champions League for 2025-2026, all 26 players named in the roster have gathered in Iraq.

With 2 matches remaining, 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 in third place with 12 points.

If Hong Myung-bo's team adds just 1 more point, they will secure their 11th consecutive World Cup qualification since the 1986 Mexico tournament. A minimum draw against Iraq will suffice. The best scenario would be to defeat Iraq and enter the final match against Kuwait on the 10th at Seoul World Cup Stadium without pressure.

Looking at the objective strength, South Korea is ahead. South Korea is ranked 23rd by FIFA, while Iraq is ranked 59th. In historical records, South Korea has a significant advantage with 10 wins, 12 draws, and 2 losses.

In the 4th match of Group B in the 3rd qualifiers on Oct. 15 last year, South Korea secured a 3-2 victory with consecutive goals from Oh Se-hoon, Oh Hyun-kyu, and Lee Jae-sung.

The last time South Korea lost to Iraq was in the semifinal of the Asian Cup in 2007. After a 0-0 draw, they lost 3-4 in a penalty shootout. This match is officially recorded as a draw.

South Korea's last official defeat record against Iraq was in the final qualifiers for the 1984 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics, where they lost 0-1.

Considering the sweltering weather and the one-sided support from home fans, the away match in Iraq is expected to be a challenging encounter for Hong Myung-bo's team.

The South Korean national football team will play an away match in Iraq for the first time in 35 years since a friendly match held in Baghdad in February 1990.

None of the players in the national team have experience playing an A-match in Iraq. Coach Hong Myung-bo last participated in an away match in Iraq during his active career. Coach Kim Dong-jin has experience playing in a friendly match against Iraq's U-20 national team in Baghdad in March 2000 as a member of the U-20 national team.

Coach Hong Myung-bo is ensuring thorough preparation for the match against Iraq. On the local time of the 3rd at 9 p.m., all 26 players conducted their first training session at Al-Fahad Stadium for about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

The Korea Football Association noted, "Despite the late hour and hot weather, the players maintained a positive atmosphere and focused on training. The process of selecting suitable players for the match against Iraq began with the first training. In tactical training, multiple players were used in each position."

On the 4th, the training was conducted at the Basra International Stadium, where the actual match will be held. Hong Myung-bo's team began with stretching and physical training, followed by experimenting with various attacking patterns.

In the official pre-match press conference, Coach Hong Myung-bo said, "I do not think the match will be easy. I believe there will be various challenges, but I trust the players. I believe we can perform well. I will prepare thoroughly for the last day to ensure we secure points."

Alongside him, Hwang In-beom said, "Since our qualification for the World Cup is at stake, the match against Iraq is very important. We have also prepared thoroughly. It is an away game, and we have to face a strong team like Iraq, so there is some pressure, but we have united as 'one team' and prepared perfectly. If we can show this on the field, we should be able to achieve a good result."

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