Seoul: South Korea will host Ecuador and Uruguay in men's football friendly matches in September, the sport's national federation announced Wednesday. The Korea Football Association (KFA) stated that the world No. 32 South Korea will face 25th-ranked Ecuador on September 24, followed by a match against 20th-ranked Uruguay four days later.
According to Yonhap News Agency, venues and kickoff times for these matches are yet to be announced. These games are scheduled to take place during the FIFA international match window from September 21 to October 6. The KFA had previously announced on July 28 that South Korea would also play against Venezuela on October 2 and Uzbekistan on October 6.
South Korea and Ecuador will meet for the third time, with each team having won one of their previous encounters. The last meeting resulted in a 2-0 victory for South Korea in a friendly held in Seoul in May 2010. Meanwhile, South Korea will face Uruguay for the 11th time, having previously secured one win, two draws, and seven losses against the South American side. Uruguay won their most recent match by 2-1 in Seoul in March 2023.
Both Ecuador and Uruguay participated in this year's FIFA World Cup. Ecuador advanced to the round of 32, while Uruguay exited during the group stage. South Korea is set to play these four matches and two additional matches during the November 9-17 window under a caretaker head coach. The head coach position remains vacant after former coach Hong Myung-bo resigned in late June following the team's group-stage elimination at the World Cup.