Fifa World Cup 2026: Son Heung-min issues warning as South Korea travel to China for qualifiers clash in Shenzhen
- Two countries face each other in Shenzhen on Tuesday in qualifying for 2026 tournament
- Son says he expects teams to be physical, while ‘getting under our skin’ will be part of opponents’ strategy
South Korea travel to China on Tuesday for 2026 World Cup qualifying, with Son Heung-min warning his side they must keep their cool in front of a sell-out crowd.
The clash in Shenzhen, just over the border from Hong Kong, is the pick of the second round of games in the second phase of qualifying for the World Cup in North America.
Among other notable matches, Australia face Palestine in Kuwait, Japan travel to Jeddah to play Syria, Iran are away at Uzbekistan and India host Qatar.
South Korea thrashed Singapore 5-0 on Thursday to begin their qualifying campaign, with skipper and Tottenham Hotspur forward Son scoring a screamer from outside the box.
The Koreans are top of Group C in the early standings with China, who scored 16 minutes from time for a 2-1 win in Thailand.
Jurgen Klinsmann’s South Korea are favourites in Shenzhen, but Son warned: “I think Asian teams will try to be physical against us, and getting under our skin will perhaps be a part of their strategy.
