Korean midfielder Lee Jae-sung speaks during a press conference ahead of a World Cup qualifying match against Jordan at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Yonhap

Korea may be in danger of losing the top spot in their group in the ongoing Asian World Cup qualification round, but veteran midfielder Lee Jae-sung said Monday the situation has not affected his team's collective confidence.

Korea will face Jordan at 8 p.m. Tuesday in their Group B match in the third round in the Asian qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Korea, after a 1-1 draw against underdogs Oman last Thursday, still lead the group with 15 points, but Jordan are right behind with 12 points after beating Palestine 3-1 on the same day.

Korea lead Jordan only by a goal in the goal differential, the first tiebreaker, and a Jordan victory will see the Middle East team overtake Korea for first place.

At his prematch presser, Lee reminded everyone that the change has not happened yet.

"We're still in first place. Obviously, we all feel responsible for the way we played against Oman, but despite that, we're still No. 1 in our group," Lee said at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul. "We're confident that we can win tomorrow's match and we're not really concerned."

Head coach Hong Myung-bo said the Oman match was the team's worst performance so far in the third round. And Lee said he and his teammates won't just take the field Tuesday thinking they can beat Jordan easily.

"We have to recognize what we did poorly in the previous match and learn what we can from that," the Mainz 05 midfielder said. "We can only grow if we can prove on the field tomorrow that we've learned our lessons. And we must keep evolving throughout this round. But overall, the vibe in the team has been pretty good."

Mindful that it might seem as though he were making excuses, Lee discussed persistent pitch problems at Korean stadiums.

Both the Oman and the Jordan matches were moved away from Seoul World Cup Stadium because of poor field conditions at the venue otherwise known as the mecca of football in Korea. For last week's match, though, the conditions at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul, didn't seem that much better.

"It's a shame that I have to talk about this issue on the eve of a match. I know this may sound like an excuse but field conditions do have an impact on our performance," Lee said. "And players feel stressed out about this. I used to play in the K League in the past and it's unfortunate that conditions have gotten worse over the years, not better.

"Players based in Europe may have second thoughts about coming back to the K League because of that," Lee continued. "I know a lot of people are working hard to address this issue but this has to get better. That will give players more opportunities to please fans with their performances." (Yonhap)