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Korea unlikely to play at home in lead-up to World Cup

Published: 16 Dec. 2025, 18:56

Korean players acknowledge fans after beating Ghana 1-0 in a friendly at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul on Nov. 18. [YONHAP]

Korea will not likely play a tune-up match at home in the weeks leading up to next summer's FIFA World Cup.

With Korea trying to schedule matches in Europe during the March international break, reports out of Austria on Monday said Austria will host Korea in late March.

According to reports, Austrian head coach Ralf Rangnick revealed the plan during a TV appearance on Monday evening.

Austria sit two spots below Korea in the FIFA rankings at No. 24. Rangnick's team will face Argentina, Algeria and Jordan in Group J.

Korea, too, have been looking for a European opponent, as manager Hong Myung-bo's side will play Mexico, South Africa and a European playoff winner in Group A at the June 11-July 19 tournament.

With the 2025 match calendar in the books, the Taegeuk Warriors did not face any European foe this year. Their most recent contest against a European team came in September 2023, when they played Wales to a goalless draw in an away friendly match.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) had tried to arrange matches against higher-ranked teams from Europe, but most of the candidates had already been taken. For instance, world No. 4 England will host 16th-ranked Uruguay and 18th-ranked Japan at Wembley in London on March 27 and 31, respectively.

Korean players acknowledge fans after beating Ghana 1-0 in a friendly at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul on Nov. 18. [NEWS1]

There is one final pre-World Cup match window from June 1 to 9, and the KFA said it is trying to schedule a game in Mexico then to help the national team players get acclimated ahead of the World Cup.

Korea will play all three group matches in Mexico — two in the high altitude of Guadalajara and one in the rainy Monterrey.

"Nothing is set in stone yet, but considering our World Cup fixtures and the need for quick acclimatization, we're trying to put our last tuneup match somewhere in North America or Central America, including Mexico," a national team official said. "We really can't afford to play our June match elsewhere."

Previously, Korea have played their one final match in front of home supporters before embarking on their World Cup journey. For the upcoming World Cup, the KFA considered keeping the tradition until Korea ended up with three matches in Mexico. By virtue of being in Group A, Korea and their three opponents will all play on the very first day of the tournament, June 11.

Yonhap