S. Korea to begin 2026 World Cup qualification in Seoul on Nov. 16

South Korea will launch its 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign in Seoul next month, the national football federation announced Friday.

The Korea Football Association said South Korea will host Singapore at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Nov. 16 in their first Group C match in the second round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers. The kickoff is 8 p.m.

Singapore beat Guam in the two-legged first round that wrapped up Tuesday, and joined South Korea, China and Thailand in Group C of the second round.

South Korea are the highest-ranked team in that group at No. 26. Singapore are No. 157.

In 27 all-time meetings, South Korea have registered 22 wins, three draws and two losses against Singapore. Their last loss came in 1968.

After playing Singapore, South Korea, coached by Jurgen Klinsmann, will visit China for the second Group C match on Nov. 21. They will then have home-and-away dates with Thailand in March 2024, followed by an away match at Singapore and a home match against China three months later.

South Korea have played at every World Cup since 1986.

There are 36 nations divided into nine groups of four in the second round. The top two teams from each of those groups will move on to the third round, where they will be paired into three groups of six.

From there, the top two teams from each group will punch their tickets to the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The third- and fourth-place teams from the three groups will still have another shot at qualifying in the fourth round.

The 2026 World Cup will be the first edition to feature 48 nations, up from the current 32.