According to foreign media Asian Football Network, the Korea Football Association has officially entered the final stage of selecting a head coach for the Korean national team. A special negotiation delegation, consisting of Hyun Young-min, chairman of the national team committee, technical director Kim Jong-yoon (transliteration), and a special contract lawyer, has departed for Europe to conduct face-to-face contract negotiations with priority candidates.

Following Hong Myung-bo's departure after the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage (1 win, 2 losses), the KFA immediately launched an open recruitment process in accordance with Korean Sports Council regulations. After reviewing applications and conducting online interviews between August 19-21, the evaluation committee established a strict priority ranking among the final candidates.

The delegation is currently in Europe conducting direct negotiations with the top-ranked candidate. While the KFA maintains strict confidentiality regarding specific rankings, interviewed candidates include former Spain national team coach R. Moreno, longtime Pep Guardiola assistant Domenec Torrent, former Iraq national team coach Jesús Casas, and Erwin Koeman, among other renowned coaches. Should terms fail to be agreed with the preferred target, negotiations will immediately shift to the second-ranked candidate.

Formally, the new interim head coach will be responsible for six international friendlies from September through November – starting with matches against Ecuador on September 24 and Uruguay on September 28, followed by matches against Venezuela and Uzbekistan in October.

However, sources indicate this interim tenure will likely extend well beyond November. With the KFA presidency currently vacant and the administrative election schedule not yet finalized, appointing a permanent head coach before year's end faces significant institutional obstacles. Consequently, the incoming head coach is likely to lead the Taegeuk Warriors at the AFC Asian Cup held in Saudi Arabia.

Assembling an entire coaching staff of five to seven coaches requires careful negotiation, making it unlikely to finalize the appointment in August. However, should negotiations with the priority candidate conclude quickly, the KFA plans to complete the national team committee report and board approval process, potentially announcing the new interim head coach as early as the first week of September.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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