Korea Republic offer test run ahead of World Cup Qualifying campaign

With World Cup qualifying fast approaching, the Caltex Socceroos will take to the field for the first time since the AFC Asian Cup in January 2019 when they face Korea Republic on 7 June.

The friendly in Busan will provide head coach Graham Arnold with the perfect opportunity to test his charges against high-quality opposition as they build up to their Asian qualifying campaign for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

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Australia and Korea Republic will join other regional powers such as Japan and Iran in the second round of qualifying, which gets underway in September and will run through until June 2020. 

The first round of AFC qualification matches for Qatar 2022 – and for the 2023 Asian Cup – takes place from 6-11 June, with 12 sides battling to go into the hat for the second-round draw. 

“With the commencement of our 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign only a few months away, next month’s camp and friendly in Korea will provide a great chance for us to work with a selection of players who we expect to play a part on our road to Qatar over the coming years,” Arnold explained when the fixture was announced last week.

The squad for Australia’s trip to Korea Republic, for what will be the 30th meeting between the two countries, will be revealed in the coming days.

The latest FIFA Rankings for Asia have the Caltex Socceroos placed fourth, with Korea Republic – who are coached by former Portugal international Paulo Bento – a spot higher in third. 

Upcoming Match | Caltex Socceroos

Korea Republic vs. Caltex Socceroos (international friendly)
Date: Friday, 7 June 2019
Venue: Busan Asiad Stadium, Busan, Korea Republic
Kick-off: 8.00pm (local); 9.00pm (AEST)
Broadcast: Live in Australia on FOX SPORTS and 10 Bold