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Korea to play Ivory Coast in pre-World Cup away friendly

Published: 10 Feb. 2026, 19:05

The Korean men's national football team waves to fans after beating Ghana in a friendly at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Nov. 18, 2025. [YONHAP]

The Korean men's national football team will play against the Ivory Coast in an away friendly in March in preparation for the FIFA World Cup, the national football federation announced Tuesday.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced that the two teams will compete in an undetermined venue set to be near London at 2 p.m. on March 28, marking the first of two matches for the Taeguk Warriors during the international break from March 23 to 31.

Korea will also play against Austria in Vienna at 8:45 p.m. on March 31, according to a KFA announcement in January.

Korea's World Cup team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, will face Mexico, South Africa and a European playoff winner that will be decided in March.

The announcement comes as good news as the KFA had been seeking to schedule a match against an African team, and the Ivory Coast, which rank 37 in the world, are also headed toward the World Cup.

Korea, who rank 22nd in the FIFA rankings, have previously competed against the African side in March 2010, with Korea winning 2-0.

Yonhap