World Cup 2026 AFCON Second Qualifying Round First Match
Incheon-born Song to start at forward for Singapore
Son Heung-min: “There are no easy games in football”
“When I became a Singaporean, I never thought I would play against South Korea.”
That’s what Singapore national soccer team forward Song Eui-young (30) said at a press conference on Friday, a day before the first match of the second round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America (U.S. Canada Mexico). South Korea and Singapore will play at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. It is the first Asian qualifier for South Korea, which is trying to qualify for its 11th consecutive World Cup.
Born in Incheon, Song became a naturalized Singaporean in 2021. After graduating from Seoul’s Yeouido High School in 2012, he joined the Singapore League. That year, he scored 11 goals in 12 league appearances for Home United (now Ryan City) in the second division and quickly moved up to the first team. In 2018, he scored 20 goals in all competitions, including 10 in the league. It was at this point that his naturalization to Singapore was pushed forward and he was granted Singaporean citizenship in August 2021. The Singapore national team striker has four goals and three assists in 20 A-match appearances. Last year, he scored in two consecutive games for Ryan City against K League 1 Daegu in the group stage of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League. Song joined Indonesian first division team Persebaya Surabaya in June after playing in the Thai top flight earlier this year. “I want to show that I and my team can be competitive,” Song said ahead of the match against South Korea.
Singapore is ranked 155th in the FIFA rankings, well below South Korea (24th). South Korea leads the head-to-head series with 21 wins, three draws and two losses. The last time the teams met, South Korea won 7-0 in the group stage of the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing. But South Korea captain Son Heung-min, 31, is wary, saying “there are no easy games.” “In soccer, upsets happen, 카지노사이트랭크 and that’s why we love soccer,” Son said at the press conference, “but we don’t want that to happen (tomorrow) in Korea. The players have prepared well. We will take the field with a sense of responsibility.” Korean national team coach Jürgen Klinsmann added: “I don’t think Singapore is an underdog. We will take the game more seriously than ever.”
Son Heung-min also offered his support to those taking the college entrance exam on the same day as the Singapore match, saying, “Don’t be nervous, do what you normally do and do well in the exam.” 섯다