The fate of two South Korean coaches looking to qualify for the third round of the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America will be decided on Wednesday.
The Vietnam national soccer team, led by Kim Sang-sik, earned a dramatic victory over the Philippines on Saturday in the fifth match of Group F of the World Cup Asia Second Qualifying Round. Pham Tuan Hai scored the winner in stoppage time to give Vietnam a 3-2 victory after the game was tied 2-2. Kim earned a valuable victory in his debut in charge of Vietnam and kept their hopes of qualifying for the third round alive. Kim, who stepped down as head coach of K-League side Jeonbuk Hyundai in May, returned to the field after nearly a year away when he took charge of Vietnam last month.
Meanwhile, Shin Tae-yong’s Indonesia fell to a 0-2 defeat against group leaders Iraq in their fifth Group F match. The Indonesians struggled in the second half, with defender Jordi Amat receiving a red card in the 14th minute.
In the second round of qualifying, 토토사이트 the 1-2 finishers from each group advance to the third round, and in Group F, Iraq won all five matches to finish top of the group with 15 points.
Second place went to Indonesia, coached by Shin Tae-yong, with 7 points (2 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses). In third place is Vietnam, led by Kim Sang-sik (6-2-2-3). The result of Game 6, the final match of the second qualifying round, will determine which team advances to the third round alongside Iraq.
On paper, the odds favor Shin’s Indonesia.
On Nov. 11, Indonesia will face the Philippines (W1 D1 L4) at home, while Vietnam will face group leaders Iraq away. Indonesia has a goal difference advantage, so if they beat the Philippines, they will finish second in the group and qualify for the third round regardless of the outcome of the Vietnam match. However, Indonesia did draw 1-1 with the Philippines in the second round, so it’s too early to count them out. Vietnam will need to beat Iraq first to have any hope.
With 8.5 tickets to the 2026 North and Central American World Cup up for grabs in Asia, Central Asian nations like Uzbekistan and Southeast Asian nations like Indonesia have every reason to be jealous. The 18-team third qualifying round will be divided into three groups, 안전 토토사이트 with the top six teams from each group advancing directly to the knockout stage.
The third- and fourth-place finishers from each group will play in two groups in the fourth qualifier, with the top two teams from each group earning an extra spot. The second-place teams from each group will face off in the fifth qualifier to determine the other ticket. The loser of this match will have one last chance to qualify through an intercontinental playoff.