South Korea’s Son Heung-min is sharing his joy with interim coach Kim Do-hoon after winning 1-0 in the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asian 2nd round group C match between Korea and China held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 11th.
Son Heung-min, captain of the national soccer team, and coach Kim Do-hoon, who served as interim head coach, shared the same voice, saying that a good leader and the right direction are needed for a bright future for Korean soccer.
Korea, led by interim coach Kim Do-hoon, won 1-0 with Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain)’s winning goal in the final third match of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup Asian region second qualifying round against China held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 11th. won.
As a result, Korea finished the second qualifier with 5 wins and 1 draw, maintaining its qualification for pot 1 in the 3rd qualifier starting in September. As a result, Korea was able to avoid difficult enemies Japan and Iran.
Even in a chaotic atmosphere with three leaders leading the team, it is encouraging that they finished the second preliminary round undefeated and qualified for pot number one in the third preliminary round.
Last February, Korea dismissed coach Jurgen Klinsmann due to lack of leadership and controversy over attendance. However, due to difficulties in the task of directing the next head coach, a new official head coach has not yet been appointed.
Accordingly, in March of last year, then Olympic team coach Hwang Seon-hong (currently Daejeon coach) led the national team as temporary head coach, and in June, coach Kim Do-hoon led the national team as temporary head coach.
Although Korea has urgently put out fire under the temporary manager system, it must bring in a new head before September when the third preliminary round is held. A proper system is needed in the 3rd qualifier as it is against stronger teams than the 2nd qualifier. In fact, Korea struggled in the third qualifying round of the 2014 Brazil World Cup and the 2018 Russia World Cup and changed coaches. Coach Kim Do-hoon, who directed the two games in June, said, “I hope I will be the last interim coach. “A good coach must come to Korean soccer,” he said, and hoped that there would no longer be a national team with a temporary head coach. Captain Son Heung-min also conveyed the same thoughts and raised his voice that the manager should be appointed in a normal manner with enough time. Son Heung-min said, “There are many talented players in the Korean national team. “Even if it takes time (to appoint a director), it is important to choose the correct and safe path,” he said. In addition, both Son Heung-min and Kim Do-hoon emphasized that the priority is to determine the path and direction of Korean soccer before appointing a new coach. Son Heung-min, who has been playing as a player for a long time in Europe, said, “In soccer, each player’s ability is important, but discipline and promised movements are the most important.” He added, “Korean soccer also needs to decide on an accurate path. “We need to think specifically about what kind of soccer we will play in the future,” he said. Coach Kim Do-hoon also said, “The current national team players have the ability to occupy the ball and lead the game. Considering these abilities, he advised, “The direction in which Korean soccer will go is active soccer,” and added, “We will be able to develop further only if we keep playing the soccer we are good at.” The Korea Football Association, which successfully passed the June A-match, will once again appoint a new coach through the Strengthening Committee. The Power Strengthening Committee prefers a foreign coach as the next head coach, but plans to reexamine all candidates from scratch. 고스톱