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South Korea will face Palestine at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Thursday in the opening game of their third-round FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifying clash. The home side breezed through the second round of the World Cup qualification campaign, picking up 16 points from an obtainable 18 and will now head into the third round of proceedings full of confidence.
They picked up a narrow but thoroughly dominant 1-0 victory over China in their last match, with Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Kang-in Lee scoring the sole goal of the game just after the hour mark.
Palestine, meanwhile, had mixed results in the previous round of the World Cup qualifiers but ultimately advanced in the competition after finishing second in their group with eight points from six games, a staggering 10 points behind group winners Australia.
They were thrashed 5-0 by a rampant Socceroos side in their last match and could have no real complaints about the result after failing to register a single shot on target in the opposition box throughout the match.
South Korea vs Palestine Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Thursday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between South Korea and Palestine.
- The home side have kept clean sheets in each of their last three games after failing to register any in their previous seven.
- South Korea have scored 20 goals in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers so far. Only Australia (22) and Japan (24) have scored more in the AFC.
- The Lions of Canaan were ranked 96th in the latest FIFA rankings and now sit 73 places behind their midweek opponents.
South Korea vs Palestine Prediction
South Korea are on a three-game winning streak and have lost just once since last June. They are undefeated in their last six games on home soil and will head into the midweek clash as overwhelming favorites.
Palestine saw their latest result end a three-game unbeaten streak and they will be looking to bounce back here. The sheer gulf in class and quality between the two teams should, however, see the Taegeuk Warriors pick up maximum points here.
Prediction: South Korea 4-0 Palestine
South Korea vs Palestine Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: South Korea to win
Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Over 2.5 goals (Four of the visitors' last six matches have produced more than 2.5 goals)
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: NO (Both sides have found the back of the net in just one of the hosts' last five matches)
