South Korea’s World Cup Qualifying Journey Continues as Kim Do-hoon Takes Charge
As South Korea continues its push for a spot in the 2026 World Cup, Kim Do-hoon steps up as the team’s third head coach this year. Kim’s appointment last month came after the recent dismissal of Juergen Klinsmann following a challenging Asian Cup campaign, and after Hwang Sun-hong, who led the team during the March qualifiers. On Thursday, Kim and his squad will face Singapore, needing only a draw to secure their place in the third round of Asia’s qualifiers.
Kim Do-hoon Steps In as Third Coach This Year
This match comes amid a series of changes within the South Korean team’s leadership. While Singapore, with only one point from four international matches, might seem an easy opponent, Kim remains vigilant. The team is looking to avoid any surprises, particularly after a previous victory over Singapore in November with a strong 5-0 result. “We won’t underestimate Singapore,” Kim commented, emphasizing the recent progress in Southeast Asian football. Kim, who managed Ulsan Hyundai to an Asian Champions League victory in 2020 and later coached Singapore’s Lion City Sailors, noted that some of Singapore’s current players were his trainees, lending an extra dimension to the matchup.
As South Korea leads Group C by three points, it has a clear path forward, while China, just behind, is set to take on Thailand. A win for China could secure their progression as well. Across the continent, other matches are set to decide the fate of Asian teams in the qualifiers, with several teams poised to secure their spots in the third round. Saudi Arabia, competing in Group G, can advance with a victory over Pakistan in Islamabad, while Jordan, fresh off its Asian Cup final performance, must beat Tajikistan in Amman to progress.
There is stiff competition in the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers of Asian matches in the year 2026. Qatar is an already-qualified team along with Japan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Australia and the UAE and another six teams are expected to emerge from the Asian continent to join thirty two teams who will compete for eight places in the tournament to be staged in United States, Canada and Mexico.
them, Event India and Kuwait fell into Group A, both of them looking forward the qualification, and both in Event Syria and North Korea in Vientiane will fight for one qualification place in Group B second behind Japan. Increased third round qualification is on for Oman, Kyrgyzstan, and Malaysia as the teams combine in Group D where Oman is a new member.
In other cases, a victory against Yemen in Riffa will take Bahrain to the next round as the team topping the group H while Palestine will be taking the second slot in group I upon drawing against Lebanon being staged in Doha. In particular, the third round can be expected to be rather severe, as 18 teams enter the competition to fight for six openings of the final qualification rounds. For South Korea, the goal remains clear: move forward with another caretaker manager at the helm and get closer to locking up their spot for the 2026 World Cup.