South Korea play Costa Rica, Cameroon in pre-World Cup friendlies

Costa Rica and Cameroon in friendly matches next month in the run-up to the Qatar World Cup, its football governing body said on Thursday. All three countries are bound for the World Cup, which kicks off on November 20.

South Korea will face Costa Rica on September 23 and Cameroon four days later, the Korea Football Association said. Uzbekistan will be invited to play the two visiting teams because Costa Rica and Cameroon "expressed a desire to have two matches" while in South Korea, the KFA added.

Cameroon will play Uzbekistan on September 23. The date for the Costa Rica-Uzbekistan match is yet to be determined.

It is unlikely that South Korea's captain Son Heung-min of Tottenham will play because European clubs are not required to release their players until mid-November. South Korea, led by their Portuguese coach Paulo Bento, are in Group H in Qatar with Portugal, Uruguay and Ghana.