Hong Myung-bo’s next opponent, who is aiming to advance to the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time, is Jordan, the runner-up team of the Asian Cup. The Taegeuk Warriors have a debt that they were completely defeated by Jordan in the semifinals of the Asian Cup eight months ago, and they are recovering their revenge in the third qualifying match for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Korea, China and the U.S. on the 10th.
If the team wins Jordan, it could give a green light to the team’s qualification for the World Cup. However, the team cannot be optimistic about its victory. Notably, the team should surpass Yazan al-Arab (Seoul), an iron-clad defender who has played in the K-League and has seen more Korean soccer.
South Korea failed to penetrate Jordan, which had a solid defensive wall centered on Yazan in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in February. It lost 0-2 after its worst poor performance, failing to record a single shot, and its dream of winning the Asian Cup in 64 years was futile.
Yazan, who led Seoul’s rebound as soon as he made his K-League debut in August, will be included in the Jordanian national team’s call-up list and play against the doomed South Korea.
In a recent interview with News 1 at GS Champions Park in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, Yazan said, “We have a big match ahead. Jordan will face South Korea and Oman in the A-match in October, and especially South Korea is one of the best teams in Asia. It will be a very tough match, so we have to prepare well.”
Jordan beat South Korea, which was led by former coach Jurgen Klinsmann, in the semifinals of the Asian Cup, to advance to the finals for the first time in history, and achieved a valuable result of being runner-up. He expected to be full of confidence as he met his opponent again at home in eight months, but Yazan shook his head.
“I think the semifinals of the Asian Cup back then and the World Cup qualifiers right now are completely different games. Eight months ago, Korea played 120 minutes consecutively in the round of 16 and quarterfinals, and even had a penalty shootout. When we met, the Korean players were not in good physical condition,” he recalled. 먹튀검증
South Korea, which is set to depart for an away match in Jordan on Tuesday, was hit by a major setback due to injury of “Ace” Son Heung-min (Tottenham). Still, he has several talented offensive resources including Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton).
“There are quite a few outstanding players in the European big leagues in Korea. To be honest, I get more nervous when I face Korea,” Yazan said. “It will be a difficult game, so Jordanians should trust each other and be more confident. We should not make room for Korea with our compact defense while maintaining high concentration throughout the game.”
Although he remained vigilant, he did not think it was a wall that could never overcome Korea.
“Korea will be able to change its coach (Hong Myung-bo) and display better performance,” Yazan said. “However, we have good fighting experience against Korea at the Asian Cup. There are also two players (Moussa Altamari and Yazan Al-Naimat) who can become the best players in Asia. We have a strong relationship with the new coach (Jamal Selami). We are incorporating well into the coach’s tactics.”
“Especially this time, we will play at home. The Jordanian fans’ support can put a lot of pressure on Korean players,” he said. “If you prepare well and do your best, you can get good results.”
In the third qualifying round for the North-China World Cup, six of the 8.5 teams in Asia will be decided. The top two teams in Group A through C can advance directly to the finals. Depending on the results of the remaining eight qualifying matches, Korea and Jordan may advance to the finals together.
Yazan said, “Korea has played in the World Cup for the past 40 years and is a team that is skilled in how to qualify. Jordan has never made it to the World Cup finals. We are challengers.”
“Jordan has the best chance to achieve his dream of becoming a World Cup finals as the team is comprised of talented players. His first advance to the World Cup is a great motivation and dream. I want to leave a name in Jordan’s soccer history. I hope that he and Korea can advance to the World Cup finals as the first and second place players in the group together,” he said.
