Hong eyes redemption as South Korea resume World Cup bid

South Korea's head coach, Hong Myung-Bo, aged 55, is set to return to the international arena on Thursday, with the objective of overcoming previous setbacks and achieving a victorious start in the third round of Asia's World Cup qualifiers against Palestine in Seoul.

This match marks Hong's inaugural game as the national team manager since his reappointment in July, a decade after his disappointing exit following South Korea's elimination in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup.

"The regrets from my past experiences with the national team have lingered with me throughout my life," Hong expressed in an interview with the Asian Football Confederation's official website.

"With this new opportunity, I am dedicated to fulfilling my responsibilities for the advancement of Korean football."

Hong has assumed his role following a period of uncertainty within the team, taking over as the long-term successor to Juergen Klinsmann, who departed after his team's semi-final exit at the Asian Cup in Qatar in February.

Interim coaches Hwang Sun-hong and Kim Do-Hoon guided the team, led by captain Son Heung-Min, through the remaining qualifiers in March and June. Hong aims to steer the nation towards its 11th consecutive World Cup appearance.

The Korean team will begin their campaign against Palestine before heading to Muscat to compete against Oman as part of the 18-nation preliminaries that will determine six of Asia's eight guaranteed spots for the 2026 finals.

Hong's squad is favored to progress from the group, which also features Iraq facing Oman on Thursday, while Jordan, the Asian Cup runners-up in February, will compete against Kuwait.

"It is crucial to remember that this is merely a record," Hong remarked regarding Korea's qualifying history. "Despite the increase in the number of teams qualifying for this World Cup, we must prepare with a certain level of urgency to achieve our objective."

Japan, another consistent qualifier, will also commence the next phase of their campaign on Thursday, as Hajime Moriyasu's team hosts China at Saitama Stadium in Group C.

Group C features Australia competing against Bahrain, while Saudi Arabia faces Indonesia in what is anticipated to be the most competitive of the preliminary groups.

In Group A, the reigning Asian Cup champions, Qatar, will host the United Arab Emirates, while Iran will go up against Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan will welcome North Korea.

The top two teams from the third phase, which will continue until June, will secure automatic qualification for the finals taking place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Meanwhile, the teams finishing in third and fourth place will progress to an additional round to contend for the final two qualification spots.