SOUTH Korea have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with their latest win in the ongoing qualification phase.
South Korea defeated 10-man Iraq 2-0 in their penultimate Group B match in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers at Basra International Stadium in Basra, southern Iraq, on Thursday (local time), Yonhap news agency reported.
Substitutes Kim Jin-gyu and Oh Hyeon-gyu scored a goal apiece in a dominant second half for the Taegeuk Warriors.
South Korea are leading Group B with 19 points from five wins and four draws, three points ahead of Jordan.
The top two teams from each of the three groups in the third round will grab tickets to the World Cup, and Thursday’s win assured South Korea of at least second place in Group B, regardless of their result against Kuwait in their final match in Seoul on Tuesday.
South Korea will make their 11th straight appearance in the World Cup next year, with the United States, Canada and Mexico serving as co-hosts. Only Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Italy and Spain have had longer streaks of consecutive trips to the World Cup.
