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Kim Min-jae to miss World Cup qualifying matches against Oman, Jordan due to injury

Published: 16 Mar. 2025, 14:36 Updated: 18 Mar. 2025, 14:59

PAIK JI-HWAN
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Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae, right, vies for the ball during a Champions League knockout playoff match against Celtic at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany on Feb. 18. [AFP/YONHAP]

Bayern Munich center-back Kim Min-jae will be unavailable for the Korean national team during the March international break due to injury, the Korea Football Association announced Saturday.

Korean national team manager Hong Myung-bo dropped Kim from his squad after judging that the defender needed to heal from his injury during the upcoming break.

Kim played the full 90 minutes in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Tuesday but missed a Bundesliga fixture against Union Berlin on Saturday due to injury.

Bayern has yet to reveal the exact extent of Kim’s injury, but Bayern manager Vincent Kompany said during a press conference on Friday that the Korean defender would be out “definitely for the next couple of weeks.”

This is the first time Kim has suffered an injury this season that saw him feature in 37 matches across all competitions.

He will miss the March break, during which Korea faces Oman and Jordan in the 2026 World Cup third qualifying round.

Kim, who has 69 caps, has been a key defender under manager Hong, having played the 90 minutes in all six qualifiers since the manager took the helm last September.

Korea's Kim Min-jae, center left, vies for the ball during a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Iraq at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi on Oct. 15, 2024. [YONHAP]

Hong has yet to announce a replacement for Kim as of press time Sunday.

The exclusion of Kim leaves Hong a big hole to fill, as the Bayern center-back has played an integral part in the Korean defense in the country’s run in the third qualifying round, during which the squad has only conceded five goals in six matches.

Kim effectively capitalizes on his speed and aggression to block any threatening movement in the penalty area, where he often snatches the ball and makes a seamless transition from defense to attack with long passes to the front.

His ability to predict any proactive movement from the opponents’ offense has often given Korea an edge.

Fellow center-back Cho Yu-min, who has played alongside Kim since the October break, is back in the squad alongside veteran center-back Jung Seung-hyun.

Jung only played one qualifier against Oman last September under Hong, but the Korea manager used the center-back many times during his Ulsan HD coaching days.

Jung was a regular center-back pick at Ulsan during the 2023 campaign when the club clinched the 2023 K League 1 title.

However, the Kim-less Korean national team has no other noticeable absentees, with regular captain Son Heung-min leading the squad alongside fellow Europe-based players such as Lee Kang-in, Lee Jae-sung and Hwang Hee-chan.

Korea will host the two upcoming qualifiers, with the country facing Oman in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on Thursday and Jordan in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on March 25.

One final international break in June will await Korea after the qualifier against Jordan. The Taeguk Warriors’ chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup seem promising, as they sit at the top of Group B with 14 points. The top two finishers from Group B directly reach the World Cup alongside the top two teams from two other groups.

Booking a ticket to the World Cup would mark Korea’s 11th straight time doing so.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]