South Korea’s 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign will be fronted by veteran talisman Son Heung-min, head coach Hong Myung-bo confirmed Saturday when he announced his final 26-man squad for the expanded 48-team tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
For 31-year-old Son, this World Cup marks a historic fourth appearance at football’s biggest global stage. The forward ended his decade-long stay in England’s Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur last summer, making the move to Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC, a change of scenery that has kept him in peak form to lead the Taeguk Warriors once again.
South Korea’s qualification for 2026 extends an unprecedented run for the East Asian nation: this will be its 11th consecutive World Cup appearance, an unbroken streak dating all the way back to the 1986 tournament in Mexico. Alongside Son, star names including Paris Saint-Germain playmaker Lee Kang-in and Bayern Munich elite defender Kim Min-jae all earned spots in Hong’s final selection. In a show of confidence in his impact, the coach also included Feyenoord influential midfielder Hwang In-beom, despite the star currently managing a nagging ankle injury.
Speaking to reporters in Seoul, Hong laid out the team’s clear competitive ambitions for the tournament. “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.”
South Korea has a history of punching above its weight at recent World Cups. Four years ago in Qatar, the side advanced to the knockout round after a stunning final group stage win over Portugal, before bowing out to five-time tournament champion Brazil. Hong brings unique World Cup pedigree to the role: he captained the iconic 2002 South Korean side that made a historic semi-final run on home soil, and also led the national team at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where the side picked up just one point from three group matches.
All three of South Korea’s Group A matches will be held in Mexican cities, with the side kicking off its campaign on June 11 against the Czech Republic. Seven days later, it will face host nation Mexico, before wrapping up group play against South Africa on June 24. The team heads into the tournament with inconsistent recent form, however, suffering a 4-0 thrashing by Ivory Coast in March followed by a narrow 1-0 loss to Austria. To sharpen up ahead of the opener, South Korea will travel to Salt Lake City on Monday to begin final preparations, with warm-up friendlies scheduled against Trinidad and Tobago and El Salvador before the tournament gets underway.
The full 26-man South Korea squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Jo Hyeon-woo, Kim Seung-gyu, Song Bum-keun
Defenders: Kim Min-jae, Cho Yu-min, Lee Han-beom, Kim Tae-hyeon, Park Jin-seob, Lee Gi-hyuk, Lee Tae-seok, Seol Young-woo, Jens Castrop, Kim Moon-hwan
Midfielders: Yang Hyun-jun, Paik Seung-ho, Hwang In-beom, Kim Jin-gyu, Bae Jun-ho, Eom Ji-sung, Hwang Hee-chan, Lee Dong-gyeong, Lee Jae-sung, Lee Kang-in
Forwards: Oh Hyeon-gyu, Son Heung-min, Cho Gue-sung