(LEAD) S. Korea to host Costa Rica, Cameroon in World Cup tuneups in Sept.

All News 17:17 August 25, 2022

(ATTN: ADDS details in paras 3-4)
By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Aug. 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will face Costa Rica and Cameroon at home in September as part of their preparation for this year's FIFA World Cup, the national football governing body announced Thursday.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) said the match against Costa Rica will be on Sept. 23 at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul, and the Cameroon game will be on Sept. 27 at Seoul World Cup Stadium in the capital city. Both matches will kick off at 8 p.m.

They will be the final two matches at home for South Korea at full strength before the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 World Cup in Qatar.

The KFA is hoping to schedule another friendly in early November on home soil before the national team departs for Qatar. Per FIFA international match regulations, players competing at this year's World Cup may only be released by their clubs on Nov. 14. South Korea will likely play their one final tuneup match before that date. This means only players from the Korean or Japanese leagues, whose seasons will be over by the end of October or early November, will be available for South Korea, with Europe-based stars likely joining the national team in Qatar.

In this file photo from Sept. 7, 2018, Son Heung-min of South Korea dribbles the ball against Costa Rica during the countries' friendly football match at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. (Yonhap)

The KFA will also schedule separate matches for the two visiting countries and will invite Uzbekistan as their opponent.

Cameroon and Uzbekistan will play each other on Sept. 23 in Goyang prior to the South Korea-Costa Rica game. The venue and the date for the Costa Rica-Uzbekistan match will be announced later, the KFA said.

In June, South Korea played four friendly matches in a 13-day window. They lost to Brazil 5-1 but defeated Chile 2-0 and Egypt 4-1. They were held to a 2-2 draw by Paraguay.

In this file photo from Sept. 7, 2018, South Korean players celebrate their 2-0 victory over Costa Rica in the countries' friendly football match at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. (Yonhap)

Both Costa Rica and Cameroon are bound for Qatar.

Costa Rica, ranked 34th, will play Germany, Spain and Japan in Group E. The 38th-ranked Cameroon will face Brazil, Serbia and Switzerland in Group G.

South Korea, world No. 28, are in Group H with Portugal, Uruguay and Ghana.

In this file photo provided by the Korea Football Association, Hwang Sun-hong of South Korea (C) is in action against Cameroon during the countries' friendly football match at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, 35 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 25, 2001. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

In all-time meetings, South Korea have four wins, two draws and three losses against Costa Rica. Their last showdown took place in September 2018 at Goyang Stadium, a 2-0 South Korean victory in Paulo Bento's head coaching debut for the Taeguk Warriors.

South Korea have not lost to Cameroon, with two wins and two draws. Their most recent matchup ended in a scoreless draw in May 2001.