Lee Kang-in + Kim Min-jae join training… Klinsmann to train for ‘first full’ in November

Jürgen Klinsmann’s South Korea national soccer team is back in Mokdong as a full squad for its second day of training.

Klinsmann’s men trained at Mokdong Sports Complex in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul on Thursday for the second day of their November A match schedule.

The Klinsmanns will take on Singapore on Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in the first match of Group C of the World Cup Asia Second Qualifying Round. The team will then travel to China on the 19th to face China in the second leg at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center on the 21st at 9 p.m. KST.

Klinsmann’s squad will be the most experienced starting in the second round of qualifying as they look to qualify for their 11th consecutive World Cup.

The roster is largely unchanged from the one that took part in October, with a number of key players returning to travel back and forth between South Korea and China.

Captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham), key defender Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), midfielders Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) and Hwang In-beom (Zvezda), and key overseas players Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) and Cho Kyu-sung (Mittwillan) are all included. Lee Kang-in, who scored his debut goal in the A-Match in October, is also on the roster.

On the 13th, only 11 players participated in training, including Son Heung-min. K League players such as Seol Ryeong-woo, Kim Young-kwon, Kim Tae-hwan, Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan Hyundai), Moon Sun-min and Kim Jin-soo (Jeonbuk Hyundai), as well as Kim Min-jae and Lee Kang-in held recovery training at the hotel. Hwang Eui-jo (Norwich City) returned home late on the afternoon of the 13th, while Oh Hyun-kyu (Celtic), Cho Kyu-sung and Hong Hyun-seok (Hent) arrived in Korea on the 14th.

Oh, in particular, arrived at the training venue, Mokdong, after unpacking at the hotel ahead of the 4 p.m. start time. It was at Mokdong that Klinsmann’s squad really came together.

Before the start of training, Klinsmann gathered the team together and spent about 15 minutes talking to them. During the conversation, Klinsmann reportedly told them to invite their families to the upcoming Asian Cup in Qatar in January.

After the 15-minute chat, the team warmed up with a light run and stretches, followed by step drills. Kim Min-jae led the way as a mood maker, shouting “cha~” on the training field despite his grueling schedule at Bayern Munich.

South Korea will compete against China, Singapore, and Thailand in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup North America, Asia Second Qualifying Round. The 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will see a change in the qualification process, with the number of nations participating in the tournament increasing from 32 to 48.

The number of tickets allocated to Asia has increased from 4.5 to 8.5. In October, 20 teams ranked 27th to 46th in the FIFA Asia rankings played the first round of qualifying, which narrowed the field to 10 teams. A total of 36 teams will compete in the second round, including the teams ranked 1-26 in the FIFA Asia Rankings and the 10 teams that made it through the first round.

The 36 teams will be divided into nine groups of four teams and play a home-and-away round-robin format, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the final round of 18 teams and a spot at the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

The 18 finalists will be divided into three groups of six teams and play a home-and-away league format for a total of 10 matches per team, with the top two teams from each group earning a direct ticket to the World Cup. 아톰카지노

The six teams that finish third or fourth in their respective groups in the final qualifiers will compete again in two groups of three, with the top two teams earning two tickets to the World Cup. The runner-up three teams will face off against each other to determine who will advance to the intercontinental playoffs.