The camp started with laughter. The mood was light, but preparations were serious. Hong Myung-bo's team entered its final rehearsal ahead of the North and Central America World Cup. The occasion was made more significant by being the historic 1,000th A match.
Hong Myung-bo, the head coach, will lead the South Korea national soccer team in a friendly against Ivory Coast at 11 p.m. on the 28th (all times Korea time) at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, England. Then on April 1 the team will move to Vienna, Austria, to play a second friendly against Austria. It is a two-match European tour.
This schedule is not a simple friendly. It is effectively the last assessment ahead of the 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup in North and Central America, which opens in June. A new match operation method will also be put to the test.
The most noticeable change is the "hydration break." At about the 22nd minute of each half, play will stop for roughly three minutes so players can rehydrate. It is a measure taken in consideration of the heat in the North and Central America region. The existing 45-minute half structure is maintained, but the flow is effectively divided into four quarters.
Match management details will also change. Because short breaks are provided, timing for tempo control and tactical readjustment becomes more important. It means more than a simple "time to drink water." The national team plans to use the two-match series to raise its adaptability to those conditions.
The number of substitutions has also increased. During this A match period, a baseline of eight substitutions is allowed, and up to 11 with agreement. The number of times remains three, but the range of usage has widened. The Ivory Coast match is scheduled for up to eight substitutions, and the Austria match for up to 11. Because expansion at the World Cup finals is being discussed, it has the character of a practical test.
Amid these changes, the national team gathered as a "complete unit." The main squad departed for England via Incheon Airport on the 23rd, and players who had been playing in Europe and the United States joined in turn.
The atmosphere on site was bright. Players who arrived first, including Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan and Kim Min-jae, welcomed teammates at the accommodation, and Lee Kang-in, who had had injury concerns, joined with a bright expression. Relaxation came before tension.
Light jokes continued. Kim Min-jae laughed at Oh Hyun-kyu, who was doing personal training, and Hong Myung-bo jokingly asked Cho Kyu-sung, who arrived late, "Did you ride a horse here?" The mood naturally loosened.
The flow continued at the training ground. At their first session in Milton Keynes, the national team maintained energy despite jet lag and the cold. Seol Young-woo smiled and said "life is happy," and Kim Jin-kyu also spoke of lack of sleep while keeping a bright expression.
The mood must lead to results. This match against Ivory Coast is the South Korea national soccer team's 1,000th A match in total. The history that began with the Mexico match at the 1948 London Olympics reaches a milestone.
The national team has a record of 542 wins, 245 draws and 212 losses in 999 matches. The 2002 World Cup semifinal run, and the succession from Cha Bum-kun to Park Ji-sung to Son Heung-min, were built on this history. Son Heung-min currently holds the record for most appearances with 140 matches and ranks second in scoring with 54 goals.
The match carries both meaning and tasks. New rules, increased substitutions, unfamiliar conditions. On top of that, there is the symbolism of the 1,000th match.
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