Korea maintain 3-point lead in World Cup qualifiers, on verge of clinching spot

Members of the Korean Group B football players react to a 1-1 draw against 64th-ranked Jordan at home in their latest Group B match in the third round of the regional World Cup fication in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, March 25. Yonhap Korea maintained a three-point lead in their group in the Asian World Cup qualifiers thanks to an unexpected result in the wee hours of Wednesday. Korea, world No. 23, only eked out a 1-1 draw against 64th-ranked Jordan on Tuesday at home in their latest Group B match in the third round of the regional World Cup fication. South Korea moved to 16 points on four wins and four draws, three points better than Jordan. Iraq were sitting at 12 points before playing the underdogs Palestine on Tuesday (local time), a chance to get within a point of Korea ahead of their showdown in June. However, Palestine, 101st in the FIFA rankings, upset 56th-ranked Iraq 2-1 for their first victory of the third round. Palestine were the home team, but the match was played in the Jordanian capital of Amman as the neutral venue, with the war-torn Palestine unable to play on their home soil. A combination of a Korean win and a loss or a draw by Iraq would have sent Korea to the 2026 World Cup with two matches left in this round. Korea failed to take care of their own end and will now have to wait until June to punch their ticket to the big tournament. Son Heung-min, football player, reacts to a 1-1 draw against 64th-ranked Jordan at home in their latest Group B match in the third round of the regional World Cup fication in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, March 25. Yonhap The top two teams from each of the three groups in this round will qualify for the World Cup. Teams finishing in third and fourth place will move on to play in the fourth round for another shot. Korea will clinch their 11th consecutive World Cup appearance with a win or a draw over Iraq in an away match on June 5. They can still do so even after losing to Iraq, as long as Jordan fall to Oman on the same day in Muscat. Japan clinched their berth out of Group C last Thursday, becoming the first team in the world to qualify for the big event, while Australia, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia are battling for the second spot. Iran secured their place out of Group A after a 2-2 draw against Uzbekistan on Tuesday in Tehran. Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates are still in play for the second ticket in their group. (Yonhap)