S. Korean lead in World Cup qualifying group slashed to 3 pts

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, March 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's lead in their group in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers now stands at three points with three matches left in the ongoing round.

South Korea stayed atop the Group B tables with 15 points after getting held to a 1-1 draw by Oman at home Thursday in the third round of the Asian qualification. Then in the wee hours of Friday morning in South Korean time, Jordan defeated Palestine 3-1 to reach 12 points and jump to second place in the group.

Iraq, following a 2-2 draw against Kuwait, also have 12 points, but they dropped to third place because Jordan have a better goal difference, +6 to +2.

Members of the South Korean starting lineup pose for photos before taking on Oman in their Group B match in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on March 20, 2025. Top row (L to R): Park Yong-woo, Cho Yu-min, Joo Min-kyu, Kwon Kyung-won, Jo Hyeon-woo and Son Heung-min. Bottom row (L to R): Paik Seung-ho, Hwang Hee-chan, Lee Tae-seok, Lee Jae-sung and Seol Young-woo. (Yonhap)

The top two nations from each of the three groups in this round will qualify for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States, while the teams ranked third and fourth in their groups will go on to play in the fourth round.

With three matches left, South Korea have been assured of at least advancing to the fourth round. They can grab an early World Cup ticket by beating Jordan on Tuesday at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul.

South Korea defeated Jordan 2-0 in their previous meeting in October 2024 in Amman.

The Taegeuk Warriors have played at every World Cup since the 1986 competition in Mexico.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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