Will South Korea and Japan, Asian soccer powers that shine in the round of 16 of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, face off in March?
According to the Japanese media on the 5th, the Japan Football Association is known to be considering the Korean national soccer team for next month’s A match. Japan is scheduled to play two friendly matches between the 20th and 28th of next month, the first A-match week of this year. It is known that Tokyo on the 24th and Osaka on the 28th are being reviewed for the time and place. 안전놀이터
Sorimachi Yasuharu, head of the technical committee of the Japan Football Association, said, “We haven’t decided on an opponent for the March A match yet, but if possible, we plan to play an evaluation match against a team that has a higher FIFA ranking than Japan and has consistently advanced to the World Cup finals.”
The FIFA ranking of the Korean national team is 25th, lower than Japan (20th). However, Chairman Sorimachi replied, “I think it is worth considering,” saying, “Korea is certainly a powerhouse that has advanced to the round of 16 in the World Cup,” regarding the possibility of an evaluation match with Korea.
It is not easy for Asian countries to choose opponents for friendly matches during the A-match period in March. During this period, the 2024 European Football Championship (Euro 2024) qualifiers will be held. In North Central America and the Caribbean, the 2022-2023 Nations League will be held, and in Africa, the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers will be held. This means that there is no choice but to choose a South American or Asian team for a friendly match.
In our country, the situation is the same. The Korea Football Association, which is looking for a replacement for coach Paulo Bento, is also considering a South American team. First of all, it is known that the national team is trying to play against Argentina, which is planning to play an evaluation match in their own country, and teams other than Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay, who will visit Korea in June. Previously, South American media reported that Uruguay and Colombia would visit Korea and Japan on the 3rd to have an evaluation match.
