Korea will take on Iraq in their final tuneup match befre the top Asian men’s football tournament in January, 2024, officials said Friday. The Iraq Football Association announced on its official Facebook page that the match between 23rd-ranked Korea and 63rd-ranked Iraq will be played on Jan. 6, 2024 in the United Arab Emirates. It will be nine days before Korea’s first Group E match at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Qatar. Coached by Jurgen Klinsmann, Korea will travel to Abu Dhabi on Jan. 2, 2024 to set up training camp ahead of the AFC tournament .An official with the Korea Football Association (KFA) told Yonhap News Agency that the two sides had to exchange one final document to confirm the fixture and that it would make the official announcement later in the day.
Korea have eight wins, 12 draws and two losses against Iraq so far. The Taegeuk Warriors prevailed 3-0 in their most recent meeting in November 2021, during the final round of the Asian World Cup qualifying tournament. Coached by Jurgen Klinsmann, Korea are riding a five-match winning streak, during which they have scored 19 goals and conceded zero .Iraq have just one loss in their past six matches. In January this year, Iraq won the Arabian Gulf Cup, a biennial competition for the eight members of the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Iraq will play in Group D at the Asian Cup. If Korea win Group E and Iraq finish in second place in Group D, they will clash in the round of 16.There are six groups of four at the AFC tournament. The top two teams from each group, along with the four best third-place nations, will advance to the knockouts. Korea will try to win their first Asian Cup since 1960.Klinsmann will announce his 26-man squad in Seoul on Thursday. The team will depart for Abu Dhabi on Jan. 2, 2024 for training 스포츠토토존 camp. Following the Iraq match, Korea will travel to Qatar on Jan. 10, 2024.