South Korea Falls 1-0 to Austria in World Cup Friendly

South Korea's men's national soccer team suffered a 1-0 defeat to Austria in a closely contested friendly match on April 1, 2026, at Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna, marking their second straight loss in World Cup preparations. The result came just days after a 4-0 thrashing by Ivory Coast near London and served as the final tune-up before coach Hong Myung-bo announces his squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The early morning kickoff, at 3:45 a.m. Korean time, drew a near-capacity crowd of 50,000 Austrian fans, bolstered by about 200 Korean expatriates who waved flags and chanted in a blend of traditional "Red Devils" style and folk rhythms. The match pitted two evenly ranked teams—South Korea at 22nd and Austria at 24th in the FIFA standings— in their first-ever senior-level encounter. For South Korea, it was a chance to rebuild confidence and test tactics ahead of the tournament in North America, while Austria aimed to extend a strong home unbeaten streak of nine wins and three draws in their last 12 matches.

Hong, facing scrutiny after the Ivory Coast debacle, made eight changes to the lineup while sticking with a 3-4-2-1 formation designed to bolster defense. Captain Son...