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Korea national football team to play Ivory Coast in friendly ahead of World Cup

Published: 11 Feb. 2026, 12:27

The Korean national team celebrates after a 1-0 win over Ghana at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Nov. 18, 2025. [YONHAP]

Korea will face Ivory Coast in a friendly on March 28 in Britain as part of a tune-up series ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Korea Football Association announced on Tuesday.

The friendly against the African country is the first of a two-game tune-up series, with the second match scheduled against Austria on March 31.

Ivory Coast, ranked 37th on the FIFA rankings, qualified for the 2026 World Cup by topping Group F in Africa with eight wins and two draws.

The upcoming friendly against Ivory Coast would mark the second match between the two countries. Korea won the last match 2-0 in March 2010.

No more friendlies before the World Cup, kicking off in June, are scheduled as of Wednesday.

The Taeguk Warriors will take on co-host country Mexico, South Africa and a yet-to-be determined European playoff winner in Group A at the World Cup.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PIH JU-YOUNG [[email protected]]