The South Korean national football team aims for early qualification to the World Cup finals. It is possible if they win both A matches in March.

Under the leadership of coach Hong Myung-bo, the South Korean football team will face Oman in the 7th match of Group B in the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers on the 20th at 8 p.m. at Goyang Sports Complex. They will then play Jordan in the 8th match on the 25th at 8 p.m. at Suwon Sports Complex.

Currently, South Korea maintains the lead in Group B with 4 wins and 2 draws (14 points). Iraq (11 points), Jordan (9 points), Oman (6 points), Kuwait (4 points), and Palestine (3 points) follow.

The top two teams in each group of the third round will be awarded direct tickets to the finals.

If South Korea wins both matches in March, they will secure their 11th consecutive World Cup finals qualification early, regardless of the outcomes against Iraq and Kuwait in June.

South Korea's FIFA ranking is 23rd. Oman is ranked 80th and Jordan is 64th. An analysis suggests that South Korea has an advantage in terms of objective strength, and the fact that these two matches are held at home increases the likelihood of victory for coach Hong's team.

In last September's away match against Oman in Muscat during the third round of qualifiers, South Korea won 3-1. Son Heung-min was instrumental in the match with 1 goal and 2 assists. They are determined to dominate Oman at home as well.

Oman is expected to employ a dense defensive strategy. South Korea's attacking players are required to possess the ability to break through this defense.

The key attacking resources called up by coach Hong this time include Jumin-kyu (Daejeon Hana Citizen), Oh Hyun-kyu (Genk), and Oh Se-hoon (Machida Zelvia).

34-year-old Jumin-kyu, who has scored 5 goals in 5 matches in the K League 1 this season, has greatly contributed to Daejeon maintaining its lead. He emphasized his "experience" to coach Hong.

Oh Se-hoon said, "It's true that goals are important for a striker, but I'm also confident in my defense," adding, "My strengths are in defense, aerial duels, and physical battles, particularly quickly transitioning from defense to offense is one of my advantages."

Oh Hyun-kyu asserted, "My strength is penetrating the space behind the defense during counterattacks."

There is also interest in how coach Hong will fill the gap left by center-back Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich).

Kim Min-jae, who was originally called up, has been released from the squad due to a left Achilles tendon injury sustained since late last year. Coach Hong has selected Kim Joo-sung (FC Seoul) as his replacement, and attention is focused on which defensive combination will be employed against Oman, including initial call-ups Jo Yu-min (Sharja), Jung Seung-hyun (Al-Wasl), and Kwon Kyung-won (Khor Fakkan).

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