Singapore vs Korea Republic
South Korea are likely to advance to the third round of the World Cup 2026 Asian qualifiers because they’re currently one of the top teams here in the second round.
After the first four matches, South Korea are on top of Group C with 10 points, while China are right behind them with seven. Thailand and Singapore round out the group with four points and one point, respectively.
Another win for the Taeguk Warriors against the Lions would clinch the top spot in the group. After the second round, their aim will be to claim one of the top two spots in the third round to directly qualify for the World Cup 2026.
Meanwhile, Singapore have an uphill climb to qualify for the quadrennial meet. They will also advance to the third round, regardless of where they finish in the second round. But the SBOTOP World Cup 2026 odds aren’t optimistic about their chances in the succeeding rounds.
Talking Points
Singapore’s weapons need to fire
Singapore will need to have their A-game and a lot of luck if they are to beat South Korea on Thursday night at the Singapore National Stadium. Heck, even a draw is going to be considered a huge win for the 155th-ranked Lions.
That’s what they did against China, who were caught by surprise in March, as they were able to notch a 2-2 draw. China jumped out to a 2-0 lead, courtesy of Wu Lei’s brace, but Faris Ramli and Jacob Mahler had other ideas during the second half.
Singapore will essentially have the same core of players in their next few fixtures in the qualifiers, and they will rely on the attacking duo of Faris Ramli and Ikhsan Fandi to generate World Cup 2026 highlights up front. Ramli has 13 goals in 79 caps, while Fandi has 17 goals in 36 caps.
Song Ui-Young was born in Incheon, South Korea, but he has played for Singapore for a while now. The 24-year-old is one of the team’s best players in the middle of the park, and he has four goals in 24 caps.
Joining Jacob Mahler at the back is Jordan Emaviwe, another mixed-race standout for Singapore. The 23-year-old centre-back of Nigerian descent is eager to finally make his Singaporean national team debut on Thursday.
Kim Do-Hoon can audition for the South Korea job
South Korea are in a state of flux, particularly in the coaching ranks, following the dismissal of Jurgen Klinsmann after failing to win the AFC Asian Cup.
Since then, South Korea have been managed by Hwang Sun-Hong, but he only lasted for two matches because he was hired by Daejeon Hana Citizen FC to be their new head coach on Monday. Under his tutelage, South Korea recorded a 1-1 draw and a 3-0 win over Thailand last March.
With Hwang Sun-Hong out, the Taeguk Warriors decided to hire Kim Do-Hoon as their interim manager, and he will use these two remaining games in the second round to audition for the full-time head coaching job.
Kim Do-Hoon has made seven new call-ups to the national team, such as Oh Se-Hun (FC Machida Zelvia), Bae Jun-Ho (Stoke City), Hwang Jae-Won (Daegu FC), and Choi Jun (FC Seoul). He will look to integrate these youngsters into their core, already with the likes of Heung Min-Son, Lee-Kang In, and Kim Min-Jae.
History
Singapore last met South Korea in the Seoul World Cup Stadium last November for their reverse fixture, which didn’t end well for the former as they were beaten 5-0 on the road.
Five players were featured in the scoreboard for the Taeguk Warriors, as Cho Gue-Sung, Hwang Hee-Chan, Heung-Min Son, Hwang Ui-Jo, and Lee Kang-In all found the back of the net.
Since the start of the second round of the World Cup 2026 Asian qualifiers, South Korea have only lost one of their last 11 matches across all competitions (W7, D3), with the only loss being a 2-0 result against Jordan in the AFC Asian Cup semi-finals last February.
Singapore come into this game in worse form than South Korea, as they haven’t won a single game since beating Guam in the first round of the World Cup 2026 Asian qualifiers (D1, L3).
South Korea have always qualified for the World Cup since 1986 and will look to do so again in 2026. During the 2022 World Cup, the Taeguk Warriors went as far as the Round of 16.
As for Singapore, they haven’t qualified for the World Cup in their history, and they will look to pull off the improbable this time.
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