In the round of 18 of the Asian zone of the 2026 World Preliminaries, the South Korean men's football team lost at home to Jordan and complained about its own venue

In the 2026 World Cup Qualifying Tournament Asian Zone 3rd Round of 18 Group B match, the world's 23rd ranked South Korean men's football team played 1-1 with the world's 64th ranked Jordan at their home stadium Suwon World Cup Arena on the 25th. South Korean midfielder Lee Jae-seong bluntly said that there were some problems with the playing field, and it was difficult for the team to play at a high level at home.

South Korean captain Son Heung-min

In the 5th minute of the first half, South Korea's captain Son Heung-min took a corner kick and let Lee Jae-seong receive the ball in front of the penalty area and shoot directly into the net, giving the South Korean team a 1-0 lead.

However, in the 30th minute of the first half, after Jordanian player Al Taamari's shot was blocked, Jordanian winger Al Madi grabbed the ball in front of the penalty area, first turned and shook the opponent's defense, and then got up with his right foot to shoot into the net to help Jordan chase a 1-1 draw. The two sides ended up with a 1-1 draw.

South Korea had 74.7 per cent possession, higher than Jordan's 25.3 per cent, but only three of their 12 shots on target. Jordan had 3 of their 11 attempts on goal in the game.

Jordan's Al Taamari (centre) scores

Due to the poor condition of the Seoul World Cup Arena, the South Korean team changed the home venue to the Suwon World Cup Stadium in March this year, but the South Korean team recently kicked Oman 1-1 and drew with Jordan on the 25th.

English Premier League Tottenham star Son Heung-min criticized his own venue after the game on the 25th, "When we are at home, we should enjoy the best playing conditions possible, but the situation has not improved." ”

'I know we can play better, but when our home conditions are in the way, I can't help but wonder where our home advantage is. "I know it sounds like an excuse, but every detail in football is important and it can make the difference between you and three points, and I want people to pay more attention to that," Son said. ”

Lee Jae-seong, South Korea

Lee Jae-seong, who plays for Bundesliga side Mainz 05, also admitted that he is not very happy with the playing field at his home stadium, "A lot of our players enjoy better conditions in the Europa League, so there is always a desire to have similar conditions here, and I think for us, considering the journey [of the Korean players who play in the Europa League] and the condition of the playing field, it is better to play away games in the Middle East." ”

In Group B of the round of 18 of the 3rd stage of the 2026 World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Asia, the South Korean team can lead the group with 4 wins and 4 draws, and there is still a high probability of advancing to the main competition. Jordan is second in the group with 3 wins, 4 and 1 defeats, Iraq is 3 wins, 3 and 2 defeats are third in the group, Oman is 4th in the group with 3 wins, 1 and 1 defeat, Palestine is fifth in the group with 1 win, 3 and 4 defeats, and Kuwait is sixth in the group with 0 wins, 5 and 3 losses. The top two teams in the group will receive a ticket to the 2026 World Cup.