South Korea is eligible for FIFA World Cup 2026

South Korea will compete in the FIFA World Cup for the 11th consecutive time, and they qualified by defeating Iraq with one less game.

The team that started this extraordinary journey is now aging. Some are familiar names for future generations, especially the iconic Che Fangen and "Computer" Zhao Guanglai, and some still play various roles in the game. However, others, including Jung Longhuan and Oh Ji-sung, have passed away. That class in

86 was an extraordinary start to the FIFA World Cup™ qualifying round. After 26 years of crops, it has now beat Iraq in Basra in 11 consecutive games, continuing its record behind Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina and Spain.

From this era to the early 1990s, the head coach often shared responsibilities at the national and club levels, until the appointment of Gus Hiddink and now Hong Mingfu, one thing remains unchanged: South Korea is the symbol of the sport's greatest stage.

However, this is not always as routine as the impressive continuous qualification suggests, with the country’s consistency in ensuring global qualifications was offset by a series of disappointments at the intercontinental level, who have failed to lift the Asian Football League since 1960.

Jurgen Klinsmann left at the recent 2023 World Cup in Qatar, and Mr. Hong's arrival restored a sense of stability and a series of compelling results. The Daegu Warriors dominate the Daegu Warriors from mid-2024 to the end of the year to win over Oman, Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait.

The following three draws, away against Palestine and home against Oman and Jordan, have closed the gap for the pursuers, but responded amid the heat of the Bus’ approaching 60,000 spectators this week.

In the absence of captain Son Heung-min, Kim Jong-yu and Oh Hyung-woo played a major role in the match against ten-man Iraq, winning 2-0, with both South Korea and Jordan advanced, who beat Oman earlier that day.

The team includes Masayoshi Son, goalkeeper Jo Hyun-woo and Lee Jae-sung, who are likely to enter their last global game and the challenge they are now facing is to turn their stable qualifications into stable success in the tournament itself. Apart from a fairytale finals in the 2002 co-sponsored competition, the country has not reached the quarterfinals in nine other matches they played in this period.

Hong spent several seasons in the United States during his player age, and others, including former Vancouver midfielder Huang Renbei, were also linked to North America. This means that for many, next year’s Global Finals will present a familiar stage where qualifications themselves are not the only goal and South Korea can compare it to the best teams on Earth.