South Korea's national football team, ranked 25th in the FIFA rankings, has finalized Trinidad and Tobago and El Salvador as its final pre-World Cup tune-up opponents ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.
The Korea Football Association announced that the national team will face Trinidad and Tobago at 10 a.m. on May 31 (Korea time) and El Salvador at 10 a.m. on June 4.
Both matches will be held at Brigham Young University's BYU South Field in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the Korean squad will hold its pre-tournament camp.
The El Salvador match had previously been disclosed through an announcement by that country's football federation, and now the full schedule for Hong Myung-bo's side — including dates, times and venue — has been confirmed.
Trinidad and Tobago and El Salvador are both members of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), and neither country qualified for the upcoming World Cup. Trinidad and Tobago is ranked 102nd and El Salvador 100th in the FIFA rankings.
South Korea has faced each of the two countries once before. Korea drew 1-1 with Trinidad and Tobago in Seoul on July 14, 2004, and played to a 1-1 draw with El Salvador in a friendly held in Daejeon on June 20, 2023.
"Through the two friendlies before entering Mexico, we plan to adapt to high-altitude conditions and raise our tactical sharpness," the KFA said. "Since the first and second group-stage matches will be held in Guadalajara, a Mexican highland city at 1,571 meters above sea level, we are focusing on honing match sharpness in conditions similar to those we will actually face."
The final roster for the World Cup will be announced on May 16, and the team will depart for Salt Lake City, the site of its pre-tournament camp, on May 18. The squad is scheduled to arrive in Guadalajara, its base camp during the tournament, on June 5 local time.
At the World Cup, which opens on June 12 Korea time, Hong Myung-bo's South Korea will compete in the group stage against co-host Mexico, the Czech Republic and South Africa.
