South Korea vs Saudi Arabia – Preview & Prediction (Aug. 31, 2026)

A couple of days ago, South Korea held on against Lebanon on the road until the final five minutes when they completely fell apart and lost the game 93:74. During the preparations for this qualifying window, South Koreans were without their main star Hyunjung Lee, who was trying to earn an NBA contract in the NBA Summer League. He joined the Korean team right before the game against Lebanon and only produced 11 points and 5 rebounds, which wasn´t enough for an upset victory. Korea are playing this second game at home in Suwon against an inferior opponent in view of Saudi Arabia, but they have to be careful because the Saudis have a couple of very solid guards and one of the best centers in Asia. However, the Korean team is better and also desperately needs a win in front of their fans after losing the initial match and after a shaky initial qualifying stage, which they finished with an average 3-3 W-L record. On paper, the hosts are better and more athletic, while they also have a borderline NBA player in view of Hyunjung Lee, which should overwhelm the experienced Saudi team that doesn´t have what it takes to pull off an upset on the road against a very strong Korean side. 

South Korea are not of the better teams in this group but should definitely fight for a spot at the World Cup. Today´s matchup against Saudi Arabia at home is basically a must-win for them as they the superior side. Against Lebanon, it was visible they ran out of gas in the final minutes and a similar thing should happen against heavyweights like Japan and China, but against the Saudis, they have more than enough depth to carve out a routine victory. 

Besides Qatar, Saudi Arabia are the weakest team in this group. They will have a tough time progressing, but they are by no means outsiders and could definitely give a run for their money to the Koreans today. A few days ago, the Saudis were facing a powerhouse NBA-laden Japanese team at home and expectedly got demolished 106:78 with Rui Hachimura tearing them apart with 29 points. Even if Japan played that match without their NBA stars, they would have still won routinely because Saudi Arabia are simply not at level of the top Asian sides. The Saudis are a tier below the top dogs and if they somehow qualify for the World Cup, we would be surprised. Today, their team has travelled to South Korea for a very demanding matchup against a hungry host team that is in the same class as theirs but is clearly better. Saudi Arabia will be relying on one of the best centers in Asia, Mohammed Alsuwailem, along with their stalwart from Europe Muhammad Abdur-Rahkman, but overall, they don´t have enough quality to stun the Koreans in Suwon. 

The Saudis might be able to hold on and make things interesting for three quarters, but in the end, they should get overrun by a more talented and athletic Korean team. The sole team in the group that the Saudis can beat is Qatar, while against top Asian heavyweights like Japan, China and Lebanon, they don´t stand a chance. As far as Korea is concerned, they are not that outmatched in that matchup, but the Koreans are clearly better and should win at home.