Asian nation South Korea has qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the 11th consecutive time.
South Korea secured their spot in the 2026 World Cup after defeating Iraq 2-0 in the third round of Asian qualifiers late Thursday night. The next World Cup will be hosted jointly by the USA, Mexico, and Canada.
Kim Jin-Gyu scored in the 63rd minute and Oh Hyeon-Gyu added another goal in the 82nd minute to seal the win for Korea. With this victory, South Korea now sits at the top of Group B with 19 points from 9 matches. Even if they lose their final match against Kuwait, they are guaranteed to finish in the top two and qualify.
In the third round of Asian qualifiers, 18 teams are divided into three groups. The top two teams from each group will earn a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
South Korea has been qualifying for every World Cup since 1986.