SEOUL: South Korea’s sports ministry said on Thursday it will work with the domestic football league to improve the quality of pitches after national team captain Son Heung-min said the issue was partly to blame for poor results in home World Cup qualifiers.

South Korea are three points clear in Group ‘B’ in the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup but would have already sealed their spot in North America had they beaten Oman or Jordan in the recent international window.

The Koreans were held to draws in both matches, which were moved to regional cities due to the poor condition of the pitch at Seoul World Cup Stadium, though Son found little improvement in Goyang and Suwon.

The South Koreans have won only one of their four home qualifiers in the current phase, drawing the other three.

“Conditions of football pitches are directly related to the overall quality of games, as they can affect players’ performances and fan satisfaction,” the ministry said in a statement according to the Yonhap News agency.

“We will come up with practical solutions to problems and also strengthen cooperation with the K League, individual clubs and stadium management personnel to establish a sustainable management system.”

Players in the K League have also complained about the state of pitches, especially in cold conditions, and the ministry said it would inspect surfaces at 27 stadiums hosting domestic matches, starting in April.

Despite the disappointing results South Korea will secure their 11th straight World Cup appearance if they avoid defeat to Iraq in Basra on June 5, before hosting Kuwait on June 10 in their final qualifier.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2025