Korea’s national soccer team defeated Iraq 2-0 on June 6, clinching a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup and marking its 11th consecutive qualification since the 1986 Mexico tournament.
The match was held at Basra International Stadium in Iraq as part of the Asian Group B third-round qualifiers. The winning goal came in the 63rd minute of the second half, scored by Jin-kyu Kim of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. The team was led at the time by head coach Myung-bo Hong.
With this result, Korea has now qualified for the World Cup 11 times in a row since the 1986 tournament in Mexico, and 12 times total, including its first appearance at the 1954 tournament in Switzerland.
![Kim Ju-ae, daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right in the front, drives a new battle tank as Kim oversees a coordinated offensive tactical drill of infantrymen's and tankmen's subunits at the Pyongyang Training Base No. 60 under the Capital City Defence Corps of the Korean People's Army on March 19 in this photo taken from the Korean Central Television the following day. [YONHAP]](https://www.koreadailyus.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/0406-tank-100x70.jpg "North moving Kim Jong-un’s daughter to center of military imagery to bolster succession: NIS")
