There was no response to Hong Myung-bo's (56) name.

The South Korean national soccer team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo (56), will face Oman at 8 p.m. on the 20th at Goyang Sports Complex for the 7th match of Group B in the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Asian qualifying round.

South Korea is maintaining 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) are following. The top two teams from each group in the qualifiers will secure direct tickets to the finals.

If South Korea wins both against Oman this time and Jordan on the 25th, gaining 6 points, they will secure 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's FIFA ranking is 23rd. Oman is 80th, and Jordan is 64th. Analysis suggests that South Korea, being ahead in objective strength and playing these two home matches, has a high probability of victory.

The national team, poised for that first step toward 11 consecutive World Cup qualifications, announced the starting lineup before kickoff.

The team led by Hong Myung-bo will adopt a 4-3-3 formation. Son Heung-min, Joo Min-kyu, and Hwang Hee-chan will aim to score up front, while Baek Seung-ho, Park Yong-woo, and Lee Jae-sung will be in the midfield. Lee Tae-seok, Jo Yu-min, Kwon Kyung-won, and Seol Young-woo will form the back four, with Jo Hyun-woo in goal.

Kim Dong-heon, Park Seung-wook, Jo Hyun-taek, Won Du-jae, Lee Chang-geun, Yang Min-hyuk, Kim Joo-sung, Yang Hyeon-jun, Bae Joon-ho, Lee Kang-in, Oh Se-hun, and Oh Hyeon-kyu are on the bench, while Hwang In-beom, along with Um Ji-sung, Lee Dong-gyeong, Hwang Jae-won, and Jeong Seung-hyun, have been excluded from the roster.

Before kickoff, the national team's starting lineup was announced through the large screen at Goyang Sports Complex. Each time a player's name was called, the crowd erupted with cheers and supportive slogans.

However, after the players' names were called, when coach Hong Myung-bo's name was announced, the 32,000 spectators filling Goyang Sports Complex maintained silence. It was an awkward silence, with neither cheers nor boos heard.

Meanwhile, South Korea and Oman previously faced each other in the second qualifying match. In September 2024, South Korea traveled to Oman and achieved a 3-1 victory, with Hwang Hee-chan scoring the opening goal, followed by consecutive goals from Son Heung-min and Joo Min-kyu in the second half. An own goal by Jeong Seung-hyun during stoppage time in the first half created a moment of crisis.

South Korea has once again selected the three attackers who scored in the previous match against Oman: Son Heung-min, Joo Min-kyu, and Hwang Hee-chan. This suggests an intention to establish a clear scoring threat and secure an early goal.

On the day before the match, the 19th, coach Hong Myung-bo noted, "We discussed our reactions to direct balls and second balls with the players. While it may differ, we have a model for when we apply and don't apply pressure. We are paying attention to this," indicating thorough preparations.

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