Can I really laugh? The South Korean national soccer team is on the verge of qualifying for the World Cup for the 11th consecutive time.

Under the leadership of Head Coach Hong Myung-bo, the South Korean team drew 1-1 against Jordan in the 8th match of Group B of the 3rd round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup, held at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 25th.

With this, South Korea added 1 point, bringing their total to 16 points (4 wins, 4 draws) and maintaining the top spot in Group B. Jordan, who shared the points, finished in 2nd place with 13 points.

Fortunately, Iraq lost 1-2 against Palestine in a match held on the 26th and did not add any points, remaining in 3rd place with 12 points. If Iraq had won, they would have jumped to 2nd place and chased South Korea with just a 1-point difference.

Thanks to this, South Korea now only needs to add 1 more point in the remaining two matches (against Iraq and Kuwait) to secure 2nd place in the group and confirm their qualification for the World Cup. They are on the brink of achieving a historic 11th consecutive participation in the World Cup, which began in 1986.

It is definitely something to smile about. Until now, countries with such records include Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Spain, and Italy. In that sense, it is a proud history for South Korean soccer fans.

However, the reality is that it is not an occasion to smile carelessly. If the national team's goal is simply to reach the World Cup finals, it is certainly a joyful matter. However, the team must aim to advance beyond the group stage to the knockout rounds, including the round of 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals.

Setting such a goal and looking back at the team known as 'Hong Myung-bo's squad,' it is hard not to sigh. Both the performance and the results have been poor. The national team has drawn 1-1 in the last three matches.

The opposing teams were also considered weak, as they were Palestine, Oman, and Jordan. Although one could argue that the match against Palestine was away, the matches against Oman and Jordan were both home games supported by fans.

Hong Myung-bo's squad scored an opening goal just 5 minutes into the match. Son Heung-min (Tottenham) took a corner kick, and Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) finished it off, suggesting a positive start to the game. However, in the 30th minute of the first half, a mistake by Park Yong-woo (Al Ain) allowed a counterattack, resulting in a painful equalizer.

In the second half, attackers Yang Min-hyeok (Queens Park Rangers), Yang Hyeon-jun, Oh Se-hoon (Machida), and Oh Hyun-kyu (Genk) were all mobilized. However, they could not break the 1-1 deadlock. Despite having 75% possession, they failed to secure a victory in what was a one-sided match.

It is evaluated that they lacked tactics to break through the tightly packed opponents. Such criticism has also been raised when facing Palestine and Oman, increasing concerns about Hong Myung-bo's squad.

Although Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) dropped out of this roster due to injury, players like Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Lee Jae-sung, Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), Yang Min-hyeok, Yang Hyeon-jun, and Oh Hyun-kyu from Europe were fielded.

Despite being arguably the strongest squad in history, Hong Myung-bo's team has not achieved good results or performances. The output does not match the names of the players. Moreover, the opponents they will meet in the finals are teams that are unlikely to retreat like the teams encountered in the Asian qualifiers.

The earliest date that Hong Myung-bo's squad can confirm their qualification for the World Cup is June 5 against Iraq in an away match. Even if they lose to Iraq, they can attempt to qualify again through the home match against Kuwait on June 10. Of course, depending on the scenario, they might face challenges in qualifying.

[OSEN]