The Kuwaiti national football team lost 3-1 to South Korea yesterday at Jaber International Stadium, in the fifth round of Group Two of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers for the United States, Canada, and Mexico. With this result, South Korea maintained its top position in the group with 13 points, almost securing a spot in the World Cup, while Kuwait’s points remained at 3, placing them temporarily in fifth place.
The group also saw two other matches, Oman vs. Palestine and Iraq vs. Jordan, taking place while Al-Jarida was going to press. The Kuwaiti national team entered their match against South Korea with a lineup consisting of Khaled Al-Rashidi as goalkeeper, Sami Al-Sanea, Khaled Ibrahim, Hassan Hamdan, and Mashari Ghannam as defenders. Eid Al-Rashidi, Reda Hani, Adhbi Shehab, Moaz Al-Aseema, and Mohammed Daham played in midfield, with Salman Al-Awadhi leading the attack.
Coach Pizzi employed a 4-5-1 formation, which shifted to a 4-3-3 during attacks. This setup allowed Mohammed Daham and Eid Al-Rashidi to provide offensive flair, while Moaz Al-Aseema made runs from the left side. Meanwhile, the midfielders dropped back to help defend against South Korea’s attacks.
The first dangerous attack of the match came from the Kuwaiti team in the fifth minute, with Sami Al-Sanea unleashing a powerful shot that sailed over goalkeeper Ho Sehun’s crossbar. South Korea responded in the 10th minute, when Ho Sehun delivered a perfect header that found its way into the net after Kuwaiti goalkeeper Khaled Al-Rashidi’s attempt to block the ball was unsuccessful.
The Korean team continued to press forward, and in the 19th minute, Son Heung-min was fouled by Sami Al-Sanea, leading Australian referee Shaun Evans to award a penalty kick. Son stepped up to take the penalty and successfully converted, giving South Korea a 2-0 lead.
The game continued with both teams battling in the midfield, with the players’ main focus being to push the ball forward. While the Korean team maintained full control of the match, they didn’t create many scoring opportunities, aside from a shot that sailed over Khaled Al-Rashidi’s crossbar.
In the 33rd minute, the Blues players launched a counterattack that was ended by Eid Al-Rashidi with a weak and inaccurate shot that went wide of the goal.
In the 40th minute, Ji Sung’s header was denied by the crossbar, and the remaining minutes of the first half saw no further action. The half ended with South Korea leading 2-0 over Kuwait.
At the beginning of the second half, Son Heung-min missed a golden opportunity when he was left alone just a few steps away from the goal. Despite this, the game settled into a midfield battle, with the Korean players maintaining control and a calm demeanor.
In the 56th minute, Coach Pizzi made his first substitution, bringing on Youssef Majed for Moaz Al-Aseema. Just moments after his introduction, Majed made an impact by delivering a cross from the left side to Mohammed Daham. Then Daham unleashed a powerful shot that resembled like a ‘cannonball’ which found the back of the net, giving Kuwait their first goal in the 60th minute, with the score now 2-1.
Daham’s goal, Kuwait’s first, was coupled with the enthusiastic response from the loyal fans, sparked a surge of energy in the Kuwaiti national team. The players, no longer as cautious, began to push forward more aggressively, abandoning their defensive stance and seeking to equalize the score.
After Daham’s goal, Coach Pizzi made his second substitution, bringing on Sultan Al-Enezi for Adhbi Shehab. As the fans hoped for an equalizer, substitute Bae Joo Nho scored South Korea’s third goal in the 74th minute, disappointing the Blues players.
Pizzi then made three substitutions at once, bringing on Youssef Nasser, Rashed Al-Dosari, and Moaz Al-Dhafiri in place of Sami Al-Sanea, Eid Al-Rashidi, and Mashari Ghannam.
Later, Youssef Majed came close to scoring Kuwait’s second goal in the 85th minute, but his header hit the post. The final minutes saw end-to-end action, but the match concluded with South Korea securing a 3-1 victory over the Blues’.
Iran wins, Saudi Arabia draws and Bahrain loses
Iran took a crucial step towards reaching the World Cup finals for the fourth consecutive time and the seventh in its history, after defeating host North Korea 3-2 yesterday on North Korea’s home ground. The match was part of the fifth round of the third stage of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
Progressing further, Iran took a commanding 3-0 lead in the first half, with Mehdi Ghaedi scoring in the 29th minute and Mohammad Mohebi netting a brace in the 41st and 45th minutes. However, the game became tense in the second half after Iranian defender Shoja Khalilzadeh was sent off in the 51st minute.
North Korea capitalized on the numerical advantage, reducing the deficit with an own goal by Mehdi Taremi in the 56th minute, followed by a goal from Kim Yu-sung in the 59th minute. Despite the pressure, Iran held on to win 3-2.
Iran’s victory brought them to 13 points in Group 1 of the Asian qualifiers. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia earned a goalless draw against Australia in Melbourne but remain without a win in their last three matches of the third round.
The result was disappointing for both teams, as Saudi Arabia and Australia each earned 6 points from 5 matches in Group 3. In this group, only the top two teams will qualify directly for the World Cup finals.
The Bahraini team suffered a heartbreaking loss in front of their home fans, as they were defeated 1-0 by China in the 91st minute. This victory lifted China’s score to 6 points, propelling them to third place, tied with Saudi Arabia and Australia. Meanwhile, Bahrain remained on 5 points, dropping to fifth place in the standings.
