It’s been long rumored, but the KFA has officially announced that the November 15 friendly will be against Switzerland. The match will be held, once again, at Seoul World Cup Stadium (aka Seoul Sangam Stadium). A time has not been announced, but I assume it will be around 7 or 8 pm.
Switzerland will be a challenging opponent. They are currently ranked 7th by FIFA and have earned a ranked seeding spot in the upcoming World Cup. Switzerland cruised to the top of their group with 24 points, and went 7-3-0 in their qualifying campaign.
They don’t have too many big “name” players, but they are a strong side overall. Some of the Swiss stars include Xherdan Shaqiri of Bayern Munich, Stephan Lichtsteiner of Juventus, and Gohkan Inler of Napoli.
The second friendly, scheduled for November 19th, has not been determined.
Splendid! I will be there. 🙂
By the way, thanks to you three for the all the articles. Good.work!
I bought tickets to attend the game for my family. We have a young child, 9 month old, and wanted to ask you for any tips on getting to the game, the stadium experience, leaving the game, etc. We’re concerned about safety, convenience, accessibility, etc. I seem to recall that one of you also recently attended a game with your young child. Thanks!
Hi, that was me. We went to the Brazil game with our then 10 month old daughter. The stadium, if you’ve never been, is located in the western area of Seoul (Sangam-dong), and is near the Hongdae area. To get there, the easiest way is by subway. The stadium is located on line 6, and has a dedicated stop (World Cup Stadium). Of course, if you do ride the subway, expect it to be jammed at the end of the game. You can leave a bit early if you are okay with it, or can wait around for a bit after. There is parking around the stadium, if you drive, but expect heavy traffic. I’m not sure where you would be leaving from, so I can’t tell you how long it would take to get there.
The stadium is quite new and modern (built for 2002 World Cup). You’ll probably need to carry your child (or use a hip seat or baby carrier), as there is not space for strollers or the like. There also are plenty of stairs. There are some elevators on the outside of the stadium, but they are not for the usual fan. There are plenty of shopping things there, a Home Plus as well as some convenience stores, so if you need/want to buy something you can. Usually you can bring stuff in, but it seems to vary from game to game. Sometimes security lets virtually anything in (except glass and other possible weapon things), and sometimes they get pickier about (plastic) bottle drinks. Food is usually okay if you buy something from one of the stores.
The experience can vary. Koreans tend to be very “spectator-y” if that makes sense. There is a dedicated cheering section (the Red Devils), who sit in the south end (I believe). But they are very much just a cheering section, acts of violence and insults/profanity are virtually unheard of (unless Japan is in town). That being said, if you go and sit in the east or west sides, it’ll likely be a very calm outing. I don’t expect the Swiss game to attract as much attention, so I wouldn’t worry about rowdy fans or anything dangerous. Most fans will sit, eat what they have, take pictures, and just watch.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.