South Korea are preparing for their 11th successive appearance at the World Cup finals, and they will hope to get their 2026 off to a winning start when they meet the Ivory Coast on Saturday, March 28, at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes.
The African side could only go as far as the quarter-finals in the defence of their Africa Cup of Nations crown earlier this year in Morocco, but a decent run at the global showpiece this summer will go a long way to soothing that hurt.
There will be an air of getting even from the Elephants, who have a record of losing two of the last three meetings with Asian opponents since the 2020s, which means victory here would make matters even.
Additionally, both sides are searching for a boost of confidence to take to North America in June this year.
Read our South Korea vs Ivory Coast prediction, preview and betting tips. You can also check out our Today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
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South Korea vs Ivory Coast key stats
- South Korea secured three wins in a row before this game, all with a clean sheet.
- The Ivory Coast have seen both teams score in three of their last four matches.
- The Elephants scored nine goals in their previous five outings.
South Korea vs Ivory Coast preview: Momentum on the road
| South Korea | vs | Ivory Coast |
|---|---|---|
| 22nd | FIFA ranking | 37th |
| Son Heung-Min (140) | Most caps | Franck Kessie (101) |
| Son Heung-Min (54) | Most goals | Franck Kessie (15) |
| 837 | Total caps | 612 |
| 129 | Total goals | 68 |
| 0 | Uncapped players | 3 |
South Korea's head coach, Hong Myung-bo, has completely turned around his fortunes as the national manager in his second stint, with his first tenure between 2013 and 2014 delivering only five victories in 19 internationals.
Korea are currently on a run of suffering just two defeats across 19 matches under his guidance, since the commencement of his second stint in July 2024.
South Korea beat the Ivory Coast before when playing in England.
The Taegeuk Warriors have an incredible record of remaining unbeaten in their last nine matches on foreign soil, with seven of them ending in triumph for the Asian nation.
With that type of record heading into this game, the Koreans should be confident of getting a positive result, but it also helps that they won the only head-to-head between the nations 2-0 in 2010.
Myung-bo will, however, be without Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom, as he is battling an injury.
Emerse Fae in the opposition dugout is also Yan Diomande for this international break, after he picked up an injury recently, but the coach still announced a strong enough squad that is capable of turning the Koreans over.
Ivory Coast's captain, Franck Kessie avoided defeat in the 14 games in which he has scored.
Interestingly, Fae ran on as a substitute in the nations' only ever meeting, which means he will be hoping to finally return the favour of that 2-0 defeat.
The Elephants suffered a defeat the last time out, which was a quarter-final of AFCON 2026, in which they lost to Egypt, surrendering their crown, but before that heartbreaking result, the West African nation had won four of their previous five matches on foreign soil, drawing once in that run.
Apart from that AFCON loss, Ivory Coast's last defeat came against Asian opponents, when Saudi Arabia beat them 1-0, something they will want to avoid this weekend.
South Korea vs Ivory Coast form guide & betting tips
| South Korea | vs | Ivory Coast |
|---|---|---|
| D-L-W-W-W | Form | W-D-W-W-L |
| 7 | Goals For | 10 |
| 7 | Goals Against | 6 |
| W-W-W | Recent form | W-W-L |
Whispers predicts: South Korea 2-1 Ivory Coast
The bookies have both teams rather close for the win, with Ivory Coast at 2.40 and South Korea at 2.90, making the African side favourites to secure victory this weekend.
It is worth backing the Asian nation, as they have previously beaten the Elephants and are on a confident run at the moment; however, anything is possible, so it might be a wise idea to go for double chance - Korea/ Draw at 1.55.
With both sides quite familiar with finding the back of the net, exploring the BTTS - Yes pick at 1.80 is a great option, while opting for the second half to be the highest-scoring half at 2.10 makes sense.
> 1x2 - South Korea at 2.90 | Likelihood: Probable
> BTTS - Yes at 1.80 | Likelihood: Probable
> Highest scoring half - Second half at 2.10 | Likelihood: Possible