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Korea eyes 2026 FIFA World Cup spot without injured defender Kim Min-jae

Published: 18 Mar. 2025, 13:27 Updated: 18 Mar. 2025, 17:45

The Korean national team trains at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi on March 17. [YONHAP]

Korea will try to inch closer to a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup this week without their best defender.

Korea will face Oman at 8 p.m. Thursday at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi, in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification.

Through six matches, Korea sit atop the Group B table with 14 points from four wins and two draws, three ahead of Iraq and five clear of Jordan, Korean's next opponent on March 25.

With the top two teams from each of the three groups grabbing their tickets to the World Cup, Korea can secure their spot by winning the two upcoming games at home.

However, they will have to do so without Bayern Munich center back Kim Min-jae, who was dropped from the national team on Saturday due to left Achilles tendinitis. He had been dealing with the injury for weeks, and Bayern had said Friday Kim would be out at least a couple of weeks.

Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo on Monday claimed that Bayern Munich had failed to properly protect Kim and prevent injury, costing the Taegeuk Warriors their best defender for crucial matches.

Even without Kim, though, Korea, ranked 23rd, should have little trouble beating No. 80-ranked Oman.

Korea prevailed 3-1 in their previous meeting in September in Muscat, where Korean defender Jung Seung-hyun was charged with an own goal. Hwang Hee-chan, Son Heung-min and Joo Min-kyu were the goal scorers for the winning side and all three are back on the squad this time.

Hwang, however, only recently returned from a long injury layoff, as did Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom. Joo, on the other hand, is in fine form for his new K League 1 club, Daejeon Hana Citizen, as he leads the Korean league this season with five goals in five matches.

Son, longtime captain for both Korea and Tottenham Hotspur, has had an up-and-down season for the Premier League side. Hong has spoken about managing Son's workload, though he is too important for Korea to spend much time on the bench.

Yonhap