In the final match of Group B of the Asian third round qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup North and Central America, the South Korean national soccer team decisively defeated Kuwait 4-0, capping off their grand journey.
The team finished the second and third qualifying rounds with 11 wins, 5 draws, and no losses, achieving the remarkable feat of qualifying for the World Cup for the 11th consecutive time.
What scene elicited the loudest cheers from fans during the match?
The main character was captain Son Heung-min.
Excluded from the previous away match against Iraq due to a foot injury, he was listed on the substitute bench for this game.
The moment the crowd erupted was in the 15th minute of the first half. When Son Heung-min's image appeared on the large electronic scoreboard, the entire Seoul World Cup Stadium was engulfed in explosive cheers. The noise level of the cheers soared to an astonishing 108 dB, and Son Heung-min smiled shyly and waved to the fans while looking at the camera.
Son Heung-min was substituted in the 28th minute of the second half. After receiving the captain's armband from Hwang In-beom, Son Heung-min responded to the home fans' cheers more passionately than anyone else, despite his brief playing time.
Having played his 134th international match, Son Heung-min surpassed Lee Woon-jae (133 matches) to rise to 3rd place in the all-time list of international appearances, with only Cha Bum-kun and Hong Myung-bo (both 136 matches) left ahead of him.
Son Heung-min scored 7 goals in the second qualifying round and 3 more in the third qualifying round, totaling 10 goals. Notably, with the goal scored against Palestine last November, he reached the milestone of 51 international goals, moving past Hwang Sun-hong to become the second all-time leading goal scorer for South Korean men's international matches.
After the match, Son Heung-min said, "A lot of young players came onto the field. I am proud of that. They performed remarkably well without feeling intimidated. They did better than I expected. I felt proud."
Regarding the team's qualification for the World Cup, he stated, "I am happy. I believe everyone feels that way. Most people think that Korea should easily qualify for the World Cup in Asia, but it is not easy. I have also gone through the qualifiers a few times, but I want to share this achievement with all the players who participated in the second and third qualifiers. We prepared with the mindset that we needed to show good performances, so I think we were able to finish with such a good result. I believe we deserve praise."
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