Korea set for tactical test against Brazil at int'l friendly in Seoul

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Korea set for tactical test against Brazil at int'l friendly in Seoul

Published: 09 Oct. 2025, 15:48 Updated: 09 Oct. 2025, 19:38

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Players of the Korean men's national football team, including Son Heung-min and Jens Castrop, participate in a training session at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on Oct. 7. [NEWS1]

Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America, Korea’s national football team is set to test out its competitiveness against world-class outfit Brazil.

The team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will face Brazil’s “samba boys” in a friendly international match at 8 p.m. on Friday at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul.

Korea is scheduled to play another friendly against Paraguay on Tuesday. The two matches will not only provide experience against fellow World Cup qualifiers but also serve as a final opportunity to assess the players ahead of roster decisions.

Currently ranked sixth in the FIFA world rankings after slipping from the top spot amid a generational transition, Brazil remains the all-time leader in World Cup titles with five and has qualified for 23 consecutive tournaments, including the upcoming one. Brazil holds a dominant record against Korea, with seven wins and one loss.

In their last meeting — the round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup — Brazil won decisively, 4-1. The teams will meet for the first time in nearly two years and 10 months.

Several Brazilian stars, including Neymar, 33, of Santos, and Raphinha, 29, of Barcelona, will miss the match due to injuries. Still, most of Brazil’s core players have made the trip, including Vinícius Jr., 25, of Real Madrid; Richarlison, 28, of Tottenham Hotspur; and Casemiro, 33, of Manchester United.

Head coach Carlo Ancelotti arrived in Korea on Sunday, followed by most of the squad on Tuesday.

Players of Brazilian men's national football team participate in an open training session at the Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi on Oct. 7. [NEWS1]

Korea’s head coach Hong plans to reassess his three center back strategy against Brazil. Under his leadership, the team has recorded nine wins, five draws and one loss in 15 matches. In a pair of friendlies last month in the United States, Korea used a three-back formation and earned one win and one draw.

Considering the likelihood of facing stronger teams at the World Cup, Hong aims to bolster the defense by deploying three central defenders rather than a traditional back four, with plans to strike on the counterattack. In this context, the Brazil match is seen as a key tactical test.

Due to the number of overseas-based players, the Korean national team has had limited time to train together. Most of the Europe-based players, including captain Son Heung-min, 33, of Los Angeles FC, joined on Tuesday, and the full squad was assembled by Wednesday.

With only about two days of tactical preparation, the team trained behind closed doors on Wednesday to finalize its strategy.

“With captain Son Heung-min joining the squad, the players’ concentration level rose noticeably,” said an official from the Korea Football Association. “Everyone agrees this is a golden opportunity to show Brazil — and the world — just how fierce Korean football can be.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SONG JI-HOON [[email protected]]