Lee Kang-in receives bad news.

The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder will be unavailable for South Korea's crucial World Cup 2026 qualifying match against Jordan on March 25th.

Lee Kang-in suffered an ankle injury.

Yonhap quoted South Korea's head coach, Hong Myung-bo, as confirming that Lee Kang-in suffered an ankle injury. In South Korea's 1-1 draw against Oman on March 20th, the 24-year-old provided an excellent assist for Hwang Hee-chan's goal.

However, he only played until the 85th minute before being forced to leave the field due to injury. Lee Kang-in sprained his left ankle during a challenge on the field and will leave the national team to return to PSG for treatment.

Coach Hong Myung-bo stated that not only Lee Kang-in, but also Paik Seung-ho of Birmingham City and Jung Seung-hyun of Al Wasl (UAE) will be unavailable for the upcoming match.

The coach shared: "The test results show that Lee Kang-in's injury is not as serious as we initially feared. However, he is just as important to the club as he is to the national team."

Currently, South Korea leads Group B of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia with 15 points after 7 matches, holding a significant advantage in securing direct qualification to the tournament in North America. However, the team must remain cautious in the upcoming matches, as the gap between them and their closest rivals, Jordan and Iraq, is now only 3 points.

The top two teams in the group will qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup. Lee Kang-in's absence is a major blow to coach Hong Myung-bo's team in their crucial match against Jordan. The "Taegeuk Warriors" will have one hand on their 2026 World Cup ticket if they defeat their direct competitor, Jordan.