Shin Sang-woo, expedition to Spain in preparation for the World Cup… Friendly match against Catalonia and Belgium

The women's national soccer team will travel to Spain to prepare for the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil.

The Korea Football Association announced on the 14th that the women's national team led by coach Shin Sang-woo will undergo training in Catalonia, Spain from the 24th to December 3rd.

The national team will train locally and play two friendly matches during the women's international match period of November and December set by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

The first match will be against the Catalan national team at Barcelona's Narcissus Sala Stadium at 8pm on the 28th (Korean time).

The Catalan Football Association is not a FIFA affiliated association, so this match is not recognized as an international match.

However, the Catalan national team is made up of players who play for teams in the first division of major Spanish and European leagues, including FC Barcelona, ​​and spectators are also allowed in the stadium.

The second match is an A match against Belgium in Catalonia on December 2nd. Detailed time and location will be confirmed later.

In the FIFA rankings, Korea is 17th and Belgium is 20th.

Korea has so far faced Belgium twice in friendly competitions. In the 2015 Cyprus Cup, they won in a penalty shootout after a draw, and in the 2023 Arnold Clark Cup held in England, they lost 1-2.

This trip is the last schedule before the World Cup group draw.

The group draw will be held on December 12th at 2:30 am at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The teams that advance to the finals, excluding the host country Brazil, are divided into four pots according to the FIFA rankings announced on December 7 and then organized into eight groups of four teams.

Meanwhile, the women's national team was tied in Group B with North Korea, China, and the Philippines in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics Asian final qualifying group draw held on the 12th.

The final qualifying round will be held home and away starting from the A-match period in April next year. Only the first place in each group advances directly to the finals, and the second place must go through the playoffs.