Team Korea to play 2 World Cup qualifiers under interim coach

The Korea Football Association's Power Enhancement Committee held its second meeting on Saturday and decided to let an interim coach lead Team Korea in the third match (at home on March 21) and the fourth match (away on March 26) against Thailand of the second Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North America World Cup.

"While immediate results are important, we must ultimately select a leader who can develop Korean soccer," the committee members reportedly agreed at the meeting. Initially, "We will appoint an official head coach among Korean nationals before the Thailand match in March," Jeong Hae-sung, the committee chairman, said after the first meeting on Wednesday. With the start of the K League 1 just around the corner, committee members realized that recruiting an active coach from a professional team could have a negative impact on the league and that time was running out before the Thailand game to thoroughly evaluate the candidates and appoint the right person.

As a result, it is expected that Team Korea will play Thailand under an interim head coach and take its time before selecting the next head coach by June when the team is scheduled to hold its next matches. Overall, the committee members at the meeting reportedly shared the opinion that a Korean coach would be able to communicate better with the players and thus resolve the recent conflicts within the national team.

Less than a month is left before the match against Thailand, and the committee is expected to appoint an interim coach and make the announcement immediately at the third meeting. The third meeting has yet to be scheduled.


김정훈 hun@donga.com