KUWAIT CITY, July 8: The official account of the 2027 Asian Cup finals recently highlighted Kuwait’s qualification for the tournament. Kuwait secured its spot by finishing second in Group A with 7 points, behind Qatar, who topped the group with 13 points, and ahead of Afghanistan and India, both with 5 points. Kuwait returned to the finals after missing the last two tournaments in 2019 (UAE) and 2023 (Qatar).

Meanwhile, the Kuwait Football Association is meticulously reviewing numerous coaching candidates to find the best successor to Portuguese coach Rui Pinto, who departed last June. Pinto struggled to achieve the desired results, barely advancing Al-Azraq past the first intermediate-level group.

The Kuwait Football Association aims to make a careful decision regarding the new coaching staff, especially with Kuwait’s World Cup qualifying campaign starting on September 5. Its first match will be against Jordan in Amman. Kuwait’s group includes South Korea, Oman, Iraq, Palestine, and Jordan.

In other news, the South Korean Football Association has announced the appointment of Hong Myung-bo as the head coach for the second time, ending a five-month search following the dismissal of German coach Jurgen Klinsmann in February. Hong, a former player with 136 international caps, led South Korea to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup and has signed a contract lasting until the 2027 Asian Championship.

Hong, 55, previously coached South Korea from 2013 to 2014 and led Ulsan Hyundai to back-to-back Korean League titles in the past two seasons. His primary task will be to guide South Korea to its 11th consecutive World Cup appearance, following its qualification to the third stage of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Hong replaces Klinsmann, who left after an unexpected defeat to Jordan in the semi-finals of the last Asian Cup in Qatar.

Hassan Musa

Al-Seyassah /Arab Times Staff