Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers match.
South Korea have already secured their place at the 2026 World Cup, turning this final group fixture into an opportunity to field less experienced players. Playing in front of their home crowd, the hosts are expected to claim victory. However, Kuwait have shown determination throughout the qualifiers and have put in a number of solid performances. They are already confirmed to finish bottom of the group and will enter this final game playing purely for pride.
South Korea
South Korea top the group without a single defeat. That said, they have only managed one home victory in four games — against Iraq. In their latest match, they recorded a comfortable 2:0 win over Iraq, even without Son Heung-min in the lineup. Still, their attacking statistics have not been particularly strong compared to other top-tier Asian sides — 16 goals in nine matches, and never more than three goals in a single qualifier.
Kuwait
Kuwait have yet to register a win in the group, but they have earned five draws. During the campaign, they took points off Iraq (2:2, 0:0), Jordan (1:1, 1:1), and even scored against South Korea (1:3). The absence of Yousef Nasser, who scored five of the team’s seven goals, is a major setback. However, their defence has rarely been overrun: only Oman managed to score more than three goals against them (0:4).
South Korea vs Kuwait Prediction
South Korea have won each of their last five meetings with Kuwait, but have never scored more than three goals in any of those fixtures. While Kuwait have struggled in this qualifying campaign, they have still managed to compete with some of Asia’s stronger teams. With South Korea already qualified and rotating their squad, a high-scoring performance from the hosts appears unlikely.
