'Captain' Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham Hotspur) may be able to step onto the grass. He challenges for third place in the most appearances for the South Korea national team.

The South Korea national football team, led by Coach Hong Myung-bo, will face Kuwait in the final match of the 10th round of Group B in the third Asian qualifying round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the evening of the 10th at 8 p.m.

South Korea has already secured its place in the final tournament. On the 6th, they won 2-0 in an away match against Iraq, making history with their 11th consecutive entry into the World Cup finals. This is the first in Asia and the sixth overall globally. In Group B, South Korea (19 points) and Jordan (16 points) have both secured direct tickets to the World Cup.

Now, South Korea aims to challenge for an unbeaten streak in the qualifiers. Currently, the national team has achieved 10 wins and 5 draws in the North American World Cup second and third qualifying rounds without a single defeat. If they secure at least a draw in the final match against Kuwait, they will achieve an unbeaten qualifier for the first time in 16 years since the 2010 South Africa World Cup.

In terms of objective power, South Korea has a significant advantage. South Korea is ranked 23rd by FIFA, which is 111 places higher than Kuwait (134th). In head-to-head records, South Korea has dominated with 13 wins, 4 draws, and 8 losses, including a recent 5-game winning streak.

Ahead of the match, Coach Hong Myung-bo’s lineup was announced. South Korea will deploy a 4-2-3-1 formation. Oh Hyun-kyu will take the front-line forward position, and Bae Jun-ho, Lee Kang-in, and Jeon Jin-woo will line up in the attack's second line. Won Du-jae and Hwang In-beom will fill the midfield, while Seol Young-woo, Kim Joo-sung, Lee Han-beom, and Lee Tae-seok will form the back four. Lee Chang-geun will guard the goal.

Coach Hong Myung-bo has formed a lineup mainly consisting of young players who have not had many opportunities. He noted at Incheon Airport upon his return, "From this moment on, I think we should go directly to the World Cup system, so I was thinking of giving young players a chance."

Lee Han-beom will finally make his A-match debut, while Jeon Jin-woo and Kim Joo-sung also get their first opportunity to start in an A-match. 'Guardian of Daejeon' Lee Chang-geun will also make his first start. He played his first A-match during a friendly against Qatar in 2020, but he had been unable to participate in any matches since.

The captain Son Heung-min, who attracted much attention, will start on the bench. He was entirely excluded from the list during the recent away match against Iraq, but this time he is named on the substitute list.

Son Heung-min is currently not in 100% shape due to the aftermath of a foot injury. However, there is a sufficient possibility for him to be substituted in the second half. Coach Hong Myung-bo stated at the return site that they would not pressure Son Heung-min, but in the final interview on the 9th, he hinted, "He is in a condition to play in the match. How much he can play will be discussed directly with Son Heung-min after today's training."

If Son Heung-min is substituted, he will rise to third place in the institutional sector for the most A-match appearances. Before this match, he has played 133 A-matches, tying with Lee Woon-jae (133 matches). If he plays even for a minute against Kuwait, he will surpass Lee Woon-jae and narrow the gap with the former national team coach Cha Bum-kun and Coach Hong Myung-bo (both have 136 matches) to two games.

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