Hong Myung-bo's South Korea national team will play Ivory Coast in its first March A-match friendly at 11 p.m. on March 28 (Korea time) at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, England.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals in North America about three months away, the match is intended as a stand-in test for South Africa, South Korea's opponent in the third group-stage game. Hong has called in his core overseas-based players for what he described as the final A match before the World Cup, including Son, Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) and Lee Jae-sung (Mainz).
Attention is on whether Son can end his scoring drought with his first goal from open play this year. Son's 2026 scoring has been muted. In his first match of the year, he had one goal and three assists in a 6-1 win over Espania (Honduras) in the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Feb. 18. Since then, he has gone eight straight official matches without a goal, adding four assists. His goal against Espania came from the penalty spot, leaving him without an open-play goal this year.
Some have raised concerns about decline for Son, born in 1992, but Hong said his confidence has not changed. Before the team's first training session of its Europe trip on March 24 in Milton Keynes, Hong told South Korean reporters, "I am not worried because of the time and role Son has played." He added, "He knows well what role he needs to play. It is very important for us to judge the right timing for his strengths to come out."
Hong also pointed to tactical options aimed at maximizing Son. If Son starts as a wide attacker, Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besiktas) or Cho Gue-sung (Midtjylland) is expected to play up front. With their size and ability to battle defenders and link play, South Korea hopes Son will have more room for his trademark shooting.
Hong said, "Because we have strikers in good condition like Oh Hyeon-gyu and Cho Gue-sung, there is a possibility Son will be used as a winger this time."
Son has 54 goals in 140 A matches. If he scores four goals in the March A matches, he would move into a tie for the national record of 58 goals, matching Cha Bum-kun. One more would set a new mark.
Ivory Coast, however, is not expected to be an easy opponent. It is ranked 37th by FIFA, below South Korea at 22nd, but is known in Africa for strong defense. It went unbeaten in 10 World Cup African qualifying matches (eight wins, two draws) without conceding a goal. Its squad includes Europe-based players such as Amad Diallo (Manchester United), Odilon Kossounou (Atalanta) and Ibrahim Sangare (Nottingham Forest).
South Korea is 1-0 all-time against Ivory Coast. In a friendly in London in March 2010, South Korea won 2-0 on goals by Lee Dong-gook and Kwak Tae-hwi.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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