Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Seoul: Korea Republic will take on Tunisia next month as part of their preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the national football governing body said Thursday.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) said the men's national team will play Tunisia in Cannes, France, on October 10. The KFA said it couldn't make the announcement earlier because of possible schedule changes following Korea Republic's World Cup qualifying results.
The Taeguk Warriors secured their spot at the 2018 World Cup in Russia after a scoreless draw with Uzbekistan in Tashkent on Tuesday. The result helped Korea Republic finish second in Group A in the final Asian qualifying round and confirmed their ninth consecutive World Cup appearance.
In Asia, only the top two teams in each Group A and B directly advance to the World Cup, while the third-placed teams need to go through play-offs.
Korea Republic have played against Tunisia twice before. The two sides first met in 2002, when they played to a 0-0 draw. Their latest meeting, in Seoul in 2014, ended with a 1-0 loss to Korea Republic.
Tunisia, currently ranked 34th in the latest FIFA rankings, have yet to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. They are, however, currently leaders in Group A in the third round of the African World Cup qualifying competition with 10 points, three points ahead of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In Africa, only the group winners earn a World Cup berth.
The KFA said they're still searching for a team that can play a friendly match with Korea Republic on October 7. A source said Korea Republic have contacted Russia to request a friendly match, but it's still uncertain whether the World Cup hosts will accept the offer.
The KFA added that the men's national team will play two friendly matches at home in November, but it has yet to finalize the opponents and match venues.
Sources: yonhapnew.co.kr & Lagardère Sports