Asian Cup uncertainty cloud Moreno's future as Korea coach

Robert Moreno’s future as Korea’s interim coach became uncertain after attacks in Saudi Arabia threatened the Asian Cup and planned November friendlies. Moreno’s contract runs through November, with a possible extension for the January tournament. Korea may have only two more matches to assess him if the Asian Cup is postponed or relocated.

The Asian Cup is scheduled to begin in Saudi Arabia on January 7, with Korea drawn against Yemen, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates.

Houthis attacks caused deaths and casualties and led to the closure of Riyadh airport for most of a week.

Moreno’s first four matches produced wins over Ecuador and Uzbekistan, a loss to Uruguay and a draw with Venezuela.

A decision on the Asian Cup is expected by sometime in the first half of November, with postponement to early 2028 or relocation to another country among the possibilities.

Published Oct 15, 2026 3:07 pm KST

Korea head coach Robert Moreno looks on ahead of the friendly football match against Uzbekistan at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Oct. 6. Yonhap

Robert Moreno has not had long in the job as Korea's interim national team coach but must have already realized that this is not a simple one. Moreno was appointed after the World Cup with a contract until the end of November with a possibility of extending it to the Asian Cup in January and beyond. What happens if there is no Asian Cup is anyone’s guess.

The former boss of Spain's national football team was given four games in September and October and then two more in November to prove to the Korea Football Association (KFA) that he is the man for the job. Those two fixtures had not been confirmed but it was expected that they would take place in the Middle East, probably Saudi Arabia. That is because the country is hosting the Asian Cup, starting on January 7 and it seemed like a good idea to spend some time in the region.

But then there have been attacks on Saudi airports and other targets by the Houthis, an Iran-backed militant group based in Yemen. There have been deaths and casualties and it caused the closure of Riyadh airport for the best part of a week. In such times when civilians are in danger, football is not a priority for any government. However, it has created uncertainty around the Asian Cup, which is less than three months away with Korea facing group games against Yemen, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates.

Nobody expects those games in November to go ahead now in the Middle East, and it leaves Korea suddenly scrambling to find some teams to play. For Moreno, these could be the last two games he is in charge for before the KFA decides if he deserves an extension. The first four produced mixed results but some encouraging performances: It started and ended with wins over Ecuador and Uzbekistan and, in between, was a defeat against Uruguay and a draw with Venezuela.

Moreno needs more time, but at the moment, there are serious concerns over the future of the Asian Cup. If the attacks continue, it is likely that the tournament will be postponed to the start of 2028 or moved to a different country. A decision does not have to be made just yet but the deadline is expected to be some time in the first half of November.

Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu was asked about his thoughts when attending a J-League game on Sunday.

“Of course, we wonder how the tournament will unfold, but that is not our decision to make; whether the Asian Cup is held is for the Asian Football Confederation to decide,” he said. “Whether in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere, when we operate internationally, the Japan Football Association will communicate with the relevant bodies and gather information so that we can travel and carry out our activities more safely. We will follow the decisions of the relevant authorities.”

Moreno would probably say something similar. He didn’t have much time to show that he deserves the job on a long-term basis. The six games he was expecting before the end of November could become four, but the big tournament in January that all of this is in preparation for may not even take place.

沙特阿拉伯发生的恐怖袭击事件威胁到亚洲杯和原定于11月举行的友谊赛，使得罗伯特·莫雷诺作为韩国队临时主教练的未来变得不明朗。莫雷诺的合同到11月到期，并有可能续约至明年1月的亚洲杯。如果亚洲杯延期或改期，韩国队可能只剩下两场比赛的时间来评估他的执教能力。

亚洲杯定于1月7日在沙特阿拉伯开幕，韩国将与也门、越南和阿联酋分在同一小组。

胡塞武装的袭击造成人员伤亡，并导致利雅得机场关闭近一周。

莫雷诺执教的前四场比赛，他战胜了厄瓜多尔和乌兹别克斯坦，输给了乌拉圭，与委内瑞拉战平。

关于亚洲杯的决定预计将在11月上半月做出，可能的方案包括推迟到2028年初或移至其他国家举办。

发布于2026年10月15日下午3:07（韩国标准时间）

10月6日，韩国国家队主教练罗伯特·莫雷诺在京畿道龙仁市龙仁美乐体育场观看与乌兹别克斯坦的友谊赛。（韩联社）

罗伯特·莫雷诺担任韩国国家队临时主教练的时间不长，但他肯定已经意识到这份工作并不简单。莫雷诺是在世界杯后被任命的，合同到11月底到期，并有可能续约至明年1月的亚洲杯及以后。如果亚洲杯取消，情况会如何，谁也说不准。

这位西班牙国家队前主帅被安排在九月和十月执教四场比赛，十一月再执教两场，以此向韩国足协证明他胜任这份工作。这两场比赛的地点尚未最终确定，但预计会在中东举行，很可能是在沙特阿拉伯。这是因为沙特阿拉伯将举办1月7日开幕的亚洲杯，所以安排一些时间在该地区执教似乎是个不错的选择。

但随后，也门胡塞武装（一个由伊朗支持的武装组织）袭击了沙特阿拉伯的机场和其他目标。袭击造成人员伤亡，并导致利雅得机场关闭近一周。在平民安全受到威胁的情况下，足球对任何政府来说都不是优先事项。然而，这给即将开幕的亚洲杯带来了不确定性，距离亚洲杯开幕不到三个月，韩国队将在小组赛中分别对阵也门、越南和阿联酋。

现在没人指望11月在中东举行的那些比赛能够如期进行，这让韩国足协不得不紧急寻找对手。对于莫雷诺来说，这可能是他执教的最后两场比赛，之后韩国足协将决定是否与他续约。前四场比赛结果喜忧参半，但也展现出了一些令人鼓舞的表现：首战和最后一战分别战胜了厄瓜多尔和乌兹别克斯坦，中间则负于乌拉圭，并与委内瑞拉战平。

莫雷诺需要更多时间，但目前亚洲杯的未来令人担忧。如果袭击事件持续发生，该赛事很可能推迟到2028年初举行，或者移至其他国家举办。目前无需立即做出决定，但预计最后期限将在11月上半月。

周日，日本队主教练森保一在观看J联赛比赛时被问及他的想法。

“当然，我们很想知道比赛会如何进行，但这并非我们能决定的；亚洲杯是否举办由亚洲足球联合会决定，”他说道。“无论是在沙特阿拉伯还是其他地方，当我们在国际上开展活动时，日本足协都会与相关机构沟通并收集信息，以便我们能够更安全地出行和开展活动。我们将遵守相关机构的决定。”

莫雷诺大概也会这么说。他没有太多时间来证明自己能够长期胜任这份工作。他原本预计在11月底前要执教六场比赛，现在可能只剩下四场，而一月份那场他全力备战的大赛甚至可能根本就无法举行。