Led by Son Heung-min and coach Hong Myung-bo, South Korea aims to build on its proud World Cup legacy

SOUTH KOREA 🇰🇷

FIFA World Cup 2026 – Group A

The Big Picture

South Korea enters the 2026 FIFA World Cup as one of Asia’s most experienced and consistent football nations. The Taegeuk Warriors qualified for their 11th consecutive World Cup and will compete in the tournament for the 12th time overall.

After reaching the Round of 16 at Qatar 2022, South Korea hopes to combine experience, discipline, and attacking talent to make another deep run on the global stage.

Coach

Hong Myung-bo returned as South Korea head coach in 2024, a decade after his previous spell leading the national team. One of the greatest players in Korean football history, Hong represented his country in four World Cups and captained the historic 2002 squad that reached the semi-finals.

Before returning to the national team, Hong enjoyed major success with Ulsan HD, winning consecutive K League 1 titles in 2022 and 2023.

Group A Schedule

Road to 2026

South Korea completed an impressive qualification campaign without losing a single match. Despite changing coaches twice after Qatar 2022, the team remained unbeaten throughout the Asian qualifiers.

Led by stars such as Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, South Korea topped both qualification rounds and became the only Asian nation to qualify for the 2026 World Cup undefeated.

World Cup History

• Confederation: AFC
• World Cup appearances: 12
• Best result: Semi-finals (2002)
• Last appearance: Qatar 2022 – Round of 16
• First appearance: Switzerland 1954
• Consecutive qualifications: 11

Legendary Players

Son Heung-min and Ahn Jung-hwan share the record as South Korea’s top World Cup scorers with three goals each.

Current head coach Hong Myung-bo still holds the national record for most World Cup appearances, having played 16 matches across four tournaments.

Greatest World Cup Moments

South Korea’s unforgettable 2002 World Cup remains the greatest achievement in Asian football history. Playing at home, the Taegeuk Warriors defeated Poland, Portugal, Italy, and Spain before reaching the semi-finals.

Another iconic moment arrived in Russia 2018, when South Korea stunned defending champions Germany with a dramatic 2-0 victory thanks to late goals from Kim Young-gwon and Son Heung-min.

Players to Watch

• Son Heung-min – Captain, leader, and one of Asia’s greatest footballers ever.
• Lee Kang-in – Creative playmaker capable of changing matches with his vision and technique.
• Kim Min-jae – Elite defender and defensive leader.
• Hwang Hee-chan – Fast, direct attacker with Premier League experience.

2026 Expectations

South Korea arrives in 2026 with experience, confidence, and one clear objective: prove once again that Asian football can compete with the world’s elite.

SOUTH KOREA

Goalkeepers

• #1 Kim Seung-gyu (FC Tokyo, Japan)
• #12 Bum-keun Song (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, South Korea)
• #21 Hyeon-woo Jo (Ulsan HD, South Korea)

Defenders

• #2 Han-beom Lee (FC Midtjylland, Denmark)
• #4 Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich, Germany)
• #5 Kim Tae-hyeon (Kashima Antlers, Japan)
• #13 Tae-seok Lee (Austria Wien, Austria)
• #14 Yu-min Cho (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, South Korea)
• #15 Kim Moon-hwan (Daejeon Hana Citizen, South Korea)
• #16 Jin-seop Park (Zhejiang FC, China)
• #22 Young-woo Seol (Red Star Belgrade, Serbia)
• #23 Jens Castrop (Borussia Mönchengladbach, Germany)

Midfielders

• #3 Ki-hyuk Lee (Gangwon FC, South Korea)
• #6 In-beom Hwang (Feyenoord, Netherlands)
• #8 Seung-ho Paik (Birmingham City, England)
• #10 Jae-sung Lee (Mainz 05, Germany)
• #11 Hee-chan Hwang (Wolverhampton Wanderers, England)
• #17 Jun-ho Bae (Stoke City, England)
• #19 Kang-in Lee (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
• #20 Hyun-jun Yang (Celtic, Scotland)
• #24 Kim Jin-gyu (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, South Korea)
• #25 Ji-sung Eom (Swansea City, Wales)
• #26 Dong-gyeong Lee (Ulsan HD, South Korea)

Forwards

• #7 Heung-min Son (LAFC, United States)
• #9 Gue-sung Cho (FC Midtjylland, Denmark)
• #18 Hyeon-gyu Oh (Beşiktaş, Turkey)

Head Coach

• Hong Myung-bo (South Korea)