Palestine open their 2026 World Cup qualifying group stage with a exceptional goalless draw taking part in South Korea in Seoul.
Palestine have held South Korea to a well-deserved, but shocking, 0-0 draw of their opening Group C match within the Asian Soccer Confederation (AFC) qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
The exceptional end in Seoul continues the rise of Palestinian soccer, which had peaked earlier this yr with qualification for the knockout stage of the AFC Cup for the first time within the match held in Qatar.
Palestine’s look on the group stage of the World Cup qualifiers can be a primary, however little hope was given to their match towards the AFC’s document qualifiers with 11 appearances at soccer’s international showpiece occasion.
South Korea boasted a lot of their star names together with striker Son Heung-min – captain of Tottenham Hotspur within the English Premier League – however have been unable to breach the Palestinian defence.
Palestine overcome many obstacles to carry South Korea
The chances have been additionally closely stacked towards Palestine on condition that South Korea haven’t misplaced a house qualifier since 2013 whereas their hosts have been ranked 14th on the earth by FIFA – that compared to the Lions of Canaan rating in 96th place.
Regardless of these hurdles, Palestine regarded to have damaged the impasse within the twenty second minute just for the trouble to be appropriately adjudged as off-side.
Hong Myung-bo is the hosts’ fourth coach this yr and his facet struggled to convey their talisman and skipper Son into the sport, whereas the defence regarded unsteady.
Their finest effort of a fair first half fell to Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in, however Palestinian goalkeeper Rami Hamadeh was equal to a well-struck close-range effort.
Hamadeh was known as into motion once more by Lee within the 74th minute as he tipped a free kick over the bar not lengthy after the South Korean spurned one other good opening by taking pictures vast.
Oday Dabbagh went shut for Palestine, whose legs have been tiring, on the break, earlier than Son rattled the skin of the publish within the dying minutes.
How Palestine can safe a spot on the 2026 World Cup
Following the second spherical of preliminary knockout matches, the group phases of the AFC qualifiers have now been fashioned by the 18 remaining groups from the area.
Iraq and Jordan are the opposite two robust favourites, alongside South Korea, to take the 2 automated qualifying positions for the World Cup in group C, with Palestine, Oman and Kuwait seen as distant outsiders to problem for the highest spots.
Past the 2 automated qualifiers from the group stage, six groups, comprising one of the best third- and fourth-placed finishers from the three teams, will progress to an extra stage comprising two teams. The three groups in every group of those teams will face the opposite as soon as at a impartial venue. The highest two groups will progress to the World Cup.
The second-placed sides will face one another in a playoff for a spot within the intercontinental playoffs for the remaining World Cup berths.
Palestine, meantime, are taking part in their dwelling matches overseas, normally within the Center East, due to the conflict on Gaza. The native league has been suspended and most of the gamers are and not using a membership.
The 2026 World Cup will be staged throughout Canada, Mexico and the USA with the ultimate itself held within the US.
