Could 'Captain' Son Heung-min (Tottenham) share joyful greetings with the home fans?
The football national team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will play against Kuwait in the final match of the 10th round of Group B in the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Asian Third Qualifying Round on the 10th at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Korea made history by advancing to the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time, the sixth in the world and the first in Asia, with a 2-0 victory over Iraq in the away 9th round on the 6th. In Group B, first-place Korea (19 points) and second-place Jordan (16 points) will qualify directly for the World Cup.
Korea, which is currently on an undefeated streak of 15 games (10 wins, 5 draws) in the North and Central America World Cup 2nd and 3rd qualifying rounds, is entering the qualifiers without a loss for the first time in 16 years since the 2010 South Africa World Cup.
Korea has only recorded 'undefeated' in World Cup qualifiers under the current system of five to six countries competing in the final qualifiers during the 1990 Italy tournament (9 wins, 2 draws) and the 2010 South Africa tournament (7 wins, 7 draws).
Korea, ranked 23rd in the FIFA rankings, is 111 places higher than Kuwait (134th). Korea leads the head-to-head record with 13 wins, 4 draws, and 8 losses, including a recent five-game winning streak.
Head coach Hong Myung-bo suggested the possibility of 'Captain' Son Heung-min's participation at a press conference held the day before the match.
Hong said, "We need to make the final decision through today's training. The player is in a condition to participate," adding, "I will discuss how much he can play with Son Heung-min after finishing today's training."
Son Heung-min, who has not fully recovered from his foot injury, missed the match against Iraq on the 6th. However, he completed the team training held at Paju NFC on the 8th, signaling his recovery.
Before the match, Son Heung-min participated in training. He appeared at Seoul World Cup Stadium in normal training attire with a bright face, training alongside his teammates.
As captain, Son Heung-min has already emphasized to the players the need to win against Kuwait in the final match.
Vice-captain Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) mentioned, "Captain (Son) Heung-min brought up the fact that we ended the last preliminary round with a loss. Tomorrow must be different. We haven't had many home victories, so we want to repay with a win."
Son Heung-min's participation could have a significant impact on the national team. It influences not just performance but also the morale of the entire squad. Additionally, fans attending the match are showing great interest in Son Heung-min's participation.
Additionally, Korea will showcase its spectator card section during the match against Kuwait, similar to what was done in March.
The national team cheerleading group, the Red Devils, prepared a card section with the phrase 'WE Daehan' to commemorate the remarkable achievement of advancing to the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time.
It also signifies a great accomplishment achieved together by the players and fans as one. Attention is on whether Son Heung-min will play and greet the fans.
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