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The South Korean national soccer team will begin its challenge of the 2026 North and Central American World Cup (co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico).

South Korea will face Singapore in the first Group C match of the second qualifying round for the 2026 North and Central American World Cup at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on November 16.

South Korea is 24th in the FIFA rankings. South Korea reached the round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. South Korea has made three rounds of best 16 or higher in the World Cup finals.

Singapore is also a weak country in Asia. Korea has never advanced to the World Cup finals in 155th place in the FIFA rankings.

South Korea's national soccer team begins 2026 North and Central U.S. World Cup challenge against Singapore

Korean national soccer team striker Cho Kyu-sung (from left), flanker Son Heung-min and midfielder Lee Jae-sung

South Korea is in the same group with Singapore, China and Thailand in the second qualifying round for the 2026 North and Central U.S. World Cup.

South Korea will play twice in November. South Korea will move to China after a home game against Singapore on the 16th. South Korea will play the second preliminary round of the 2026 North and Central American World Cup against China in Shenzhen, China on the 21st. China is ranked 79th in the FIFA rankings. It was the only time in 2002 that they made it to the World Cup finals.

South Korea is centered on players playing in Europe such as Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham Hotspur), Lee Kang-in (22, Paris Saint-Germain), Kim Min-jae (27, Bayern Munich), and Hwang Hee-chan (27, Wolverhampton Wanderers). Oh Hyun-kyu (22, Celtic FC), Park Yong-woo (30, Al Ain), and Lee Soon-min (29, Gwangju FC) have joined the competition, with the leading players in the round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

South Korea has 21 wins, three draws and two losses in 26 matches against Singapore. Korea is also far ahead of China (22 wins, 12 draws, 2 losses) and Thailand (31 wins, 5 draws, 9 losses) in their matches against China (22 wins, 12 draws, 2 losses in 36 matches). The soccer community expects South Korea, which has a European leaguer at the forefront, to pass the second qualifying round without difficulty.

However, Jurgen Klinsmann and the players have different ideas. The ball is round and soccer has no permanent strong or weak players. Manager Klinsmann said, "Bayern Munich lost to a third-division team in this season's cup tournament," adding, "In the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL), Jeonbuk Hyundai lost to Ryan City (Singapore)."

Ulsan Hyundai also lost 1-2 in the away game of Takzim to deal with Johor. I watched the game on the spot. The match against Singapore is not an easy game. I think the away game to China will be a rough one. The next game is the most difficult in soccer. We must prepare thoroughly, as we have always done." This is the story of Klinsmann.

South Korea will try to win the AFC Asian Cup after two World Cup qualifiers are completed in November. The Asian Cup will be held in Qatar from January 12 to February 10 next year. South Korea is in a group with Bahrain, Jordan, and Malaysia.

Korea is looking to win the Asian Cup. The second Asian Cup in 1960 was the last time Korea reached the top of the tournament. At the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America, the team aims to reach the quarterfinals or higher. South Korea is starting a new challenge a year after completing the 2022 Qatar World Cup.