Ali Al-Busaidi (34) vowed to stop the South Korean wingers.

The South Korean national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, will face Oman on the 20th at 8 p.m. at Goyang Sports Complex in the seventh match of Group B in the third round of the Asian qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. They will then play Jordan in the eighth match on the 25th at 8 p.m. at Suwon Sports Complex.

Currently, South Korea maintains first place in Group B with 14 points (4 wins, 2 draws). Iraq (11 points), Jordan (9 points), Oman (6 points), Kuwait (4 points), and Palestine (3 points) follow. The top two teams from each group in the third round will receive direct tickets to the finals.

If South Korea wins all matches in the March doubleheader and secures 6 points, they will confirm their qualification for the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time, regardless of the results of matches against Iraq and Kuwait in June.

South Korea and Oman met in the second match. In September 2024, South Korea traveled to Oman and secured a 3-1 victory with an opening goal from Hwang Hee-chan and successive goals in the second half by Son Heung-min and Joo Min-kyu. A self-goal by Jeong Seung-hyun in stoppage time of the first half created a moment of crisis.

Ahead of the match on the 19th at 8:40 p.m., Oman's coach Rashid Jaber (61) and veteran fullback Ali Al-Busaidi attended a pre-match press conference at Goyang Sports Complex.

Al-Busaidi said, "We must do our best to survive the group stage. South Korea is the best team in Group B. As far as I know, they are undefeated. We expect a tough match. Still, we believe in ourselves and will give 100% effort to perform our best."

Al-Busaidi is a veteran who has played 98 matches for the Oman national team. While primarily playing as a fullback, he is versatile enough to fulfill roles as a winger and an attacking midfielder.

South Korea has many outstanding wingers, including Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, Hwang Hee-chan, Yang Hyun-jun, and Yang Min-hyeok. In response, Al-Busaidi said, "As you know, South Korean players are all technically skilled. Our fullbacks and centerbacks must block the attacking power of their forwards through focus. Football is a sport played by 11 people together. It is not a sport made up of a single player. We will defend well through cooperative defense."

[OSEN]