The fate of Group C in the second round of Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup has been confirmed. While South Korea early confirmed its advance to the final qualifying round with the No. 1 ranking in the group, China and Thailand had mixed feelings on the last day.
South Korea, led by interim coach Kim Do-hoon, beat China 1-0 with Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain)’s winning goal in the final Group C match of the second World Cup qualifying round at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 11th.
With the victory, South Korea easily passed the second qualifying round with an overwhelming record of 16 points (5 wins and 1 draw) and a difference of +19 (20 points, 1 run).
Earlier, South Korea defeated Singapore 5-0 and China 3-0 under former coach Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany) in November last year. Under interim coach Hwang Sun-hong in March, they drew 1-1 at home with Thailand, but won 3-0 on the road.
In June, when head coach Kim Do-hoon took the temporary baton, he defeated Singapore 7-0 and overpowered China 1-0, ending the game.
By beating both Singapore and China, South Korea will maintain its third place in Asia in the FIFA rankings in June and join the top seed (Port 1) in the final qualifying round along with Japan and Iran.
If only one of the two consecutive games in June had slipped, Australia could have lost the third place in Asia and dropped to Port 2 in the final qualifying round, but this scenario could have been avoided.
China’s fate, which drew attention, was not eliminated in the second qualifying round, but “advancing to the final qualifying round.”
China, which finished the second qualifying round with 8 points (2 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses) after losing 0-1 to South Korea, was in a situation where the results of the match between Thailand and Singapore in Bangkok, Thailand, decided whether to drop out of the preliminary round and advance to the final preliminary round.
However, Thailand, the third-ranked team, failed to make a come-from-behind victory. Despite its aggressive matches, Thailand was dealt a blow at a counterattack at the 12th minute of the second half when it was leading 1-0.
However, Thailand took a 3-1 lead with consecutive goals in the 34th and 41st minutes of the second half, but the last goal that was needed was not scored. In the end, the game ended with Thailand’s 3-1 victory.
As a result, China and Thailand tied for 8 points (2 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses), difference (0) and multiple points (9 goals).
If the overall difference in gains and losses in the group stage and multiple scores are the same, the rule is “winner,” and China, which had an advantage with one win and one draw in the two preliminary matches, eventually maintained its second place. 먹튀검증
In the end, China, which was given the second place in the group, won the final qualifying round. Thailand, which attempted to advance to the final qualifying round at home, was eliminated in tears.
Singapore finished its second qualifying round at the bottom of the group with a score of 1 (1 draw and 5 losses) and 5 points and 24 runs (a difference of –19).
A total of 18 teams will participate in the final qualifying round, which will be divided into three groups of six teams. Each team will play 10 games from September to June next year to determine the ranking.
The first and second-ranked teams in each group will confirm their advance to the 2026 North-Central America World Cup, while the third and fourth-ranked teams in each group will advance to the fourth preliminary round. The fourth preliminary round will be divided into two groups of three teams, with the top-ranked team heading to the World Cup finals and the second-ranked team heading to the fifth preliminary round. Asia has 8.5 tickets to the World Cup finals.