Middle East media reported that the South Korean national soccer team A refused to hold an away match in Iraq in June.먹튀검증
Middle East sports media "Kura" said on the 21st (Korea time) that "South Korea refused to play in Iraq."
The Iraqi news platform "Alsa Network" also reported that "the Korean media delivered an official letter to FIFA on Sunday (the 20th) stating that the Korea Football Association (KFA) refused to play the national team match against Iraq at home."
The "Alsa Network" added, "The Korean media that we monitor reported that 'the reason why the Korea Football Association took this position is unknown, and the Iraqi side has not yet made an official position.' It did not specify exactly which media reports in Korea were cited.
Such reports seem to be taken back by the media in the Middle East. It has been reported that the match between South Korea and Iraq will be held in Basra, Iraq. The KFA officially inquired with FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) about whether it is possible to host the match in a third country other than Iraq, which was designated as a banned country by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for safety reasons, but AFC reportedly informed the KFA that hosting in Basra has been confirmed. On June 6, the ninth Group B match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup will be held at Basra International Stadium in Basra, Iraq. The KFA is fully preparing for the safety of its players, including the operation of bulletproof vehicles.
Against this backdrop, reports on "South Korea's refusal to play away games in Iraq" caused a heated controversy in the region over the weekend. The comments section of the article were mostly criticized for the KFA's response. The Iraqi media "Burata News" reported on the official position of Adnan Darzal, president of the Iraqi Football Association, in an article entitled "The Iraqi Football Association has resolved the controversy over the Korean soccer game scheduled to be held in Basra."
"The association has completed all administrative procedures necessary for the match, including issuing visas for Korean athletes to enter the country. The KFA delegation will arrive in Iraq soon to complete preparations for the match," Dharzal said in an official interview.
"FIFA's decision to host the game in Basra is final, and the Iraqi Football Association will soon receive an official notification of it," he said, stressing that the possibility of a neutral site converges to zero.
Ali Zabar, vice chairman of the association, also added in an interview with local media "Bagdad Today" that the Korean delegation will tour the stadium facilities and team accommodation. "Iraq will fight to advance to the World Cup finals, and an important soccer game will be held in Basra in early June," he reaffirmed.
Hong Myung-bo drew in both the 6th and 7th World Cup qualifiers against Oman and Jordan in March, but leads Group B with 16 points. There are three and four points difference from second-place Jordan (13 points) and third-place Iraq (12 points), respectively.
If the team wins in an away match in Iraq, it will be able to confirm its advance to the World Cup finals for 11 consecutive times regardless of the result of the final group match. In the third Asian qualifying round for the North-China World Cup, a total of six teams ranking first and second in the top three groups will advance to the finals, while the six teams ranking third and fourth in the group will compete in the fourth qualifying round, which is considered a consolation match for losers. A total of eight tickets are allocated to Asia.
As the final game is an away game in Jordan, Iraq has to make every effort in the ninth game against South Korea. This is why they want to push ahead with the home game despite KFA's request, and this is why they dismissed Jesus Casas, the coach of the national team, on the 15th. South Korea plans to secure a World Cup ticket in an away match in Iraq and play the final match against Kuwait in Seoul on the 10th.