South Korea National Team World Cup Betting
South Korea has become a regional powerhouse in football over the past four decades. The Tigers of Asia are now making their 10th straight trip to the World Cup, but they have never made it past the Round of 16 in an event they haven’t hosted. Accordingly, the oddsmakers have them installed as one of the longshots to come out of Group H per the World Cup betting odds.
Manager: Paulo Bento
Nicknames: Taegeuk Warriors, Tigers of Asia
Confederation: AFC (Asia)
FIFA Ranking: 29 (March 2022)
South Korea World Cup Betting Odds
To Win Group H: +1050
To Win 2022 World Cup: +40000
*Odds as of May 4, 2022
South Korea Group Stage Schedule
Uruguay vs. South Korea, Thursday, November 24, 2022, 8 a.m. ET, at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan (FS1)
South Korea vs. Ghana, Monday, November 28, 2022, 8 a.m. ET, at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan (FS1)
South Korea vs. Portugal, Friday, December 2, 2022, 10 a.m. ET, at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan (FOX)
History at the World Cup
Appearances: 10 (first in 1954)
Best Result: Fourth place (2002)
South Korea made its first appearance at the World Cup shortly after the Korean War in 1954. They were routed in their two games though, losing 9-0 to Hungary and 7-0 to Turkey. It took them 32 years to make the World Cup again, but they have fared much better at this competition since that nadir.
The Taegeuk Warriors earned their first result at the 1986 World Cup. South Korea drew Bulgaria, and they nearly earned a tie with Italy in their final match. The national team lost all three of its matches in 1990 though, and they could only muster draws in 1994 and 1998.
This team made history at the 2002 World Cup though. South Korea became the first Asian country to make it to the semifinals of the World Cup, and they did on their home turf. They beat Poland and Portugal and drew with the United States to win their group, and they followed that up with a stunning win over Italy in extra time. South Korea went on to defeat Spain in penalties after a scoreless 90 minutes, but they fell to Germany in the semifinals in Seoul.
We saw South Korea nearly make it out of the Group Stage in 2006, but they couldn’t earn a result against Switzerland in their final match after drawing France and beating Togo. South Korea was able to advance in 2010 though thanks to a win over Greece and a drew against Nigeria. The country was unable to make it out of the Group Stage in each of the last two World Cups, but they did upset Germany to keep the defending champions out of the knockout rounds last time.
What to Watch
Son Heung-min is the captain and leader of South Korea. He is probably the most talented player the country has ever produced, and he has 31 goals in 98 appearances for the Tigers of Asia. Son scored two of the team’s three goals at the last World Cup, and he has been in fine form for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
The other top goal scoring threats on this team are Hwang Ui-jo and Kwon Chang-hoon. Hwang Ui-jo has 14 goals in 44 appearances with the national team, while Chang-hoon has scored 10 times in 34 games. Lee Jae-sung is a solid midfielder that can help his teammates out, and Nam Tae-hee is likely to be on the roster too.
Nearly all of the defenders are on club teams in South Korea. Kim Min-jae is one of the lone exceptions as he plays for Fenerbahce in Turkey, but that should lead to a natural chemistry among the rest of the group. Kim Seung-gyu is likely to be the first-choice goalkeeper after Jo Hyeon-woo was the starter at the last World Cup for the Taegeuk Warriors.
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