Hong Myung-bo's Team Defeats Kuwait for 4th Consecutive Win... Son Heung-min's 50th Goal

Korea National Team Secures Top Spot in Qualifying Group B

The South Korean national football team secured a 3-1 victory against Kuwait. Son Heung-min (Tottenham) scored his 50th career goal in this match.

Led by coach Hong Myung-bo, the South Korean team played an away match on the 14th (local time) at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait, the 5th match of Group B in the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers for the CONCACAF region.

In the match against Kuwait, South Korea won decisively with a 3-1 score. With this, the team recorded 4 wins and 1 draw in the third round, earning 13 points and maintaining first place in the group. This also marked a 9-match unbeaten streak.

Son Heung-min's celebration. Photo by Yonhap News

The lineup featured captain Son Heung-min, returning from a thigh injury, along with Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) and Oh Se-hun (Machida) forming the attack. Additionally, Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), Park Yong-woo (Al Ain), Lee Myung-jae (Ulsan), Kim Min-jae (Munich), Cho Yu-min (Sharjah), Seol Young-woo (Zvezda), and Jo Hyun-woo (Ulsan) were deployed.

From the early stages of the match, South Korea pressed Kuwait, finishing the first half with a 2-0 lead. At the 10th minute of the first half, Oh Se-hun broke through Kuwait's defense to score the opening goal.

Bae Min-ho scored the third goal with a late shot. Photo by Yonhap News

Building on the momentum, the team continued their offense, and at the 17th minute of the first half, Son Heung-min earned a penalty kick that made the score 2-0. With this, Son Heung-min recorded his 50th goal in A-match history.

Kuwait scored a consolation goal at the 14th minute of the second half through Daham's shot, but the outcome was already leaning towards South Korea. At the 29th minute of the second half, Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City) received a pass from Hwang In-beom and converted it into an additional goal.

The South Korean team solidified their position at the top of Group B, moving one step closer to qualifying for the finals. The team plans to stay in Kuwait, where training conditions are favorable, to further strengthen their teamwork before moving to Jordan on the 17th for the match against the Palestine national team.