By Zoey
South Korea will head into the 2026 FIFA World Cup with veteran forward Son Heung-min once again leading the nation’s hopes after coach Hong Myung-bo unveiled a 26-man squad on Saturday for the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The upcoming competition will mark the fourth World Cup appearance for Son, who remains the face of South Korean football more than a decade after first emerging on the global stage. The 33-year-old forward begins the tournament after a major career transition last summer, when he ended his 10-year spell in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur and moved to Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer.
South Korea will also extend one of the longest active World Cup qualification streaks in international football. The nation has now qualified for 11 consecutive World Cups dating back to 1986, underlining its status as one of Asia’s most consistent football powers.
Among the most notable selections were Lee Kang-in, the creative midfielder currently playing for Paris Saint-Germain, and central defender Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich, who is widely regarded as one of Asia’s top defenders.
Hong also included influential midfielder Hwang In-beom despite concerns surrounding an ankle injury that has troubled the Feyenoord player in recent weeks. The coaching staff appears hopeful the midfielder will recover in time to play a key role during the tournament.
Speaking in Seoul after announcing the squad, Hong stressed that advancing from the group stage remains the team’s immediate objective, though he acknowledged the possibility of another deep tournament run.
“Our primary goal is to reach the round of 32,” Hong said. “We do not know what will happen after that. We could go even further than we could have imagined. Our World Cup goal is not the round of 32; our primary goal is the round of 32.”
The coach’s comments reflected cautious optimism as South Korea prepares for a demanding tournament against stronger and deeper opposition in the expanded 48-team World Cup format.
South Korea produced one of the memorable moments of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar when it defeated Portugal national football team in its final group-stage match to secure a dramatic place in the knockout rounds. The team’s campaign ended in the round of 16 with a defeat against five-time world champion Brazil national football team.
Hong remains one of the most iconic figures in South Korean football history. He captained the national team during its historic run to the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup, co-hosted by South Korea and Japan, which remains the best performance by an Asian nation at the tournament.
However, his previous spell as national team coach brought mixed results. During the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, South Korea managed only one point and was eliminated in the group stage after failing to secure a victory.
South Korea has been drawn into Group A and will play all three of its group matches in Mexico. The team opens its campaign on June 11 against the Czech Republic national football team before facing host nation Mexico national football team on June 18. The final group match comes against the South Africa national football team on June 24.
Despite optimism surrounding the squad’s attacking talent and experience, South Korea enters the tournament after a disappointing run of results in recent international matches. The team suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to the Ivory Coast national football team in March before losing 1-0 to the Austria national football team, raising concerns about defensive organization and overall consistency.
The squad will travel to Salt Lake City on Monday to begin its final preparations for the tournament. South Korea is scheduled to play warmup matches against the Trinidad and Tobago national football team and the El Salvador national football team before opening its World Cup campaign.
Alongside Son, Lee and Kim, the squad includes several players expected to carry major responsibility during the tournament, including winger Hwang Hee-chan, midfielder Lee Jae-sung and goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo.
The final roster combines experienced veterans with younger emerging players as South Korea attempts to build on its recent World Cup progress and establish itself once again as one of Asia’s leading football nations on the global stage.
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