South Korea's leaderless national team set for September friendlies against Ecuador, Uruguay

South Korea's national football team has finalized all its opponents for the FIFA A-match windows in September and October.

The Korea Football Association announced Wednesday that Ecuador and Uruguay will be South Korea's opponents for the September friendlies, to be held in Korea. The team will face Ecuador on Sept. 24 and Uruguay on Sept. 28. Venezuela and Uzbekistan were previously confirmed as October opponents, on Oct. 2 and Oct. 6, respectively.

Ecuador, ranked 25th by FIFA — seven places above South Korea at No. 32 — will be the first September opponent. At the most recent World Cup in North and Central America, Ecuador knocked out Germany in the group stage to advance to the round of 32, where host nation Mexico eliminated them.

The two sides have met twice, with each team claiming one win. Their most recent encounter was a friendly in Seoul on May 16, 2010, which South Korea won 2-0.

Uruguay, ranked 20th by FIFA, are a traditional South American powerhouse but, like South Korea, suffered a group-stage exit at the North and Central America World Cup. In head-to-head history, Uruguay hold a commanding advantage, winning seven of 10 meetings against Korea, with two draws and one South Korean victory. In World Cup play, Uruguay have won two and drawn one across three encounters.

The most recent meeting came in a friendly in Korea on March 28, 2023. South Korea conceded the opening goal before Hwang In-beom equalized, only for Uruguay to score again and win 2-1.

Following Hong Myung-bo's resignation, the Korea Football Association plans to hire an interim head coach through an open recruitment process. That interim coach will manage all four friendlies in September and October. Venues and kickoff times are currently being finalized and will be announced at a later date.