Klinsmann reiterates the goal of winning the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup for the first time in 64 years.
The South Korean men's national team, led by Jürgen Klinsmann, announced their intentions for the 2023 AFC Qatar Asian Cup (Jan. 12-Feb. 10) at the 2023 Korea Football Association (KFA) Awards held at Mayfield Hotel in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on Jan. 2.
Klinsmann said: "We are heading to Qatar with a lot of energy and belief. We have prepared well and will come back in six weeks with a good result. We will definitely lift the Asian Cup after 64 years with the Korean people."
South Korea won the inaugural edition in 1956 in Hong Kong and the second in 1960 in South Korea, but have not finished on top since.
Central midfielder Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) added: "I personally like the word challenge. This Qatar Asian Cup is not just a challenge for our squad, but a challenge that has been going on for 64 years. We will definitely come back with the trophy."카지노사이트777
The team departed for Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), at 11:40 p.m. via Incheon International Airport.
European players Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) will join the team in Abu Dhabi on February 2. Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) will join the team on the 4th after playing the final of the Trofeo des Champions (French Super Cup) against Toulouse.
The team will play a final exhibition match against Iraq on June 6 before traveling to Qatar for the final on June 10.
One of South Korea's main competitors will be Japan, which has the highest FIFA ranking of any country in the tournament at No. 17. South Korea is ranked third behind Japan (23rd) and Iran (21st). The Japanese national team hasn't lost a game in their last nine matches.
Japan unveiled its roster on Jan. 1 with 20 of the 26 players being European. Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo, who is said to be close to Lee, was called up, along with Liverpool's Wataru Endo, Arsenal's Takehiro Tomiyasu and Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma.
