The South Korea national football team, under the guidance of coach Hong Myung-bo, will play a friendly match against Ivory Coast in preparation for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup. The Korea Football Association announced that the A-match will take place on March 28 at 11 p.m. Korean time near London, UK. This match is scheduled in conjunction with a friendly against Austria on April 1. Ivory Coast, ranked 37th in the FIFA rankings, is 15 places below South Korea (22nd), but they advanced to the World Cup main round as group winners in the African qualifiers. They are placed in the group stage alongside Germany, Curacao, and Ecuador. South Korea selected Ivory Coast as a sparring partner to prepare for their third group-stage match against South Africa. The association expects that facing Ivory Coast, known for their explosive speed and strong physicality typical of African teams, will test South Korea's competitiveness. Historically, South Korea has faced Ivory Coast once, winning 2-0 in a friendly match held in London in March 2010.