Written by
WorldCupSpain Editorial Team
Reviewed by
WorldCupSpain Editorial Desk
Updated
October 23, 2026
Methodology
Corrections
South Korea will play two November friendlies in Doha, meeting Saudi Arabia on Nov. 13 and Qatar on Nov. 17, the Korea Football Association announced. Both matches fall inside the final FIFA international window of 2026 and are scheduled to kick off at 5:30 p.m. (local) and 5 p.m. (local) respectively.WHY IT MATTERS
The KFA said the games are intended to help prepare the Taegeuk Warriors, currently ranked world No. 32, for the AFC Asian Cup that begins in January in Saudi Arabia. These fixtures will also complete interim coach Robert Moreno’s initial run of matches for Korea and are explicitly tied to his short-term future: Moreno is signed through Nov. 27 and the KFA will consider retaining him through the Asian Cup depending on the team’s performances in his first six matches.
WORLDCUPSPAIN ANALYSIS
Taken together the facts outline a pressured and practical test for Moreno. His first four matches — a 3-0 win over Ecuador (Sept. 24), a 4-1 loss to Uruguay (Sept. 28), a 0-0 draw with Venezuela (Oct. 2) and a 2-0 win over Uzbekistan (Oct. 6) — were all played in Korea; these two away friendlies in Doha will complete his six-game sample. Opponents are regional and competitive: Saudi Arabia are 55th in the FIFA rankings and Korea’s historical record versus them stands at five wins, nine draws and five losses across 19 meetings; Qatar are 60th, and Korea have six wins, two draws and three losses in their meetings.
The venue change for the Saudi match — relocated to Qatar after the KFA said Saudi was under attack from Yemen’s Houthi rebels — removes the originally planned Saudi home setting and creates neutral conditions for that fixture. The team’s internal situation is also a complicating factor: the source reports a fractured locker-room environment, including public criticism by defender Kim Min-jae after the Venezuela match and reports that Kim and teammates Hwang Hee-chan and Hwang In-beom offered to retire from international play after the Uzbekistan win; longtime captain Son Heung-min is named as part of the leadership group. All of these elements make the November friendlies a consequential assessment of form, cohesion and coaching stability ahead of the Asian Cup.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
- Nov. 13, vs Saudi Arabia in Doha, kick-off 5:30 p.m. (local).
- Nov. 17, vs Qatar in Doha, kick-off 5 p.m. (local).
- Moreno is contracted through Nov. 27; the KFA will decide whether to retain him through the Asian Cup based on Korea’s performances across his first six matches.