South Korea, led by head coach Shin Tae-yong, unveiled their 26-man squad on Monday for the two crucial World Cup qualifying matches. The Taeguk Warriors will host Iran on Aug. 31 and take on Uzbekistan five days later on the road.

In the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, South Korea are currently in second place in Group A, the last automatic qualification spot, with 13 points, just one point above Uzbekistan. Iran have already qualified for the quadrennial tournament after clinching the top spot in the group regardless of their remaining two matches.

South Korea will start their training at the NFC next Monday, about a week earlier than their usual schedule. Shin's side at first will be without Europe-based players due to their club duties, but will work early with players from the K League and Chinese Super League, according to the official. Sixteen players are expected to be available for the friendly against Suwon.

The official said Shin, who took the job last month after Uli Stielike's ouster, first proposed a friendly match to Suwon head coach Seo Jung-won, who is also a member of the KFA technical committee.

Shin is expected to test the team's defensive work in the friendly. He previously emphasized that they need to build up defensive cohesion ahead of the World Cup qualifiers. (Yonhap)