Coach Hong Myung-bo immediately turned his thoughts to next year's World Cup in North America after South Korea secured qualification following a turbulent campaign."Now that today's match is over and our qualification is confirmed,

South Korea beat Iraq 2-0 in Basra on Thursday to qualify for their 11th successive World Cup with a trip to North America in 2026. Kim Jin-gyu and Oh Hyeon-gyu scored the goals to ensure the Koreans will finish in the top two in Asian Group B with one qualifier to spare.

Jordan and Uzbekistan qualified for the men's World Cup finals for the first time on Thursday, while South Korea booked their place at an 11th successive finals.