South Korea national football team have announced their 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with captain Son Heung-min leading an experienced group as the Asian side prepares for its 12th appearance at football’s biggest tournament.
The squad, unveiled on Saturday, includes several internationally recognised players, among them Kim Min-jae, Lee Kang-in and Hwang Hee-chan.
South Korea have been drawn in Group A alongside Mexico national football team, South Africa national football team and Czech Republic national football team.
The team will be managed by Hong Myung-bo, who has previous World Cup experience as a player, assistant coach and head coach.
Son remains the standout figure in the squad and is set to play in his fourth World Cup tournament. The forward joined Los Angeles FC last summer after ending a 10-year spell in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur FC.
The squad also features Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in and Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Hwang Hee-chan, forming the core of a side hoping to build on its progress at recent international tournaments.
One of the most notable selections was German-born Jens Castrop, who became the first player with dual heritage to be named in a South Korean World Cup squad.
South Korea reached the Round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, their best performance at the competition in 12 years, before being eliminated by Brazil national football team.
Hong has also included influential midfielder Hwang In-beom despite concerns over an ankle injury suffered during his time with Feyenoord.
Speaking after announcing the squad in Seoul, Hong outlined the national team’s ambitions for the tournament.
“Our primary goal is to reach the round of 32,” Hong said in Seoul.
“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 secured qualification for the World Cup after finishing top of Group B in the third round of the Asian Football Confederation qualifiers without suffering a defeat. Their place at the tournament was confirmed with a 2-0 away victory over Iraq national football team in Basra.
Despite an impressive qualification campaign, recent performances have raised some concerns ahead of the tournament. South Korea suffered a 4-0 defeat against Ivory Coast national football team in March before losing 1-0 to Austria national football team.
The team will now travel to Salt Lake City to continue preparations before playing warm-up matches against Trinidad and Tobago national football team and El Salvador national football team.
South Korea’s final squad includes goalkeepers Jo Hyeon-woo, Kim Seung-gyu and Song Bum-keun.
Defensive options feature Kim Min-jae, Jens Castrop and Cho Yu-min among others, while the midfield is built around Lee Kang-in, Hwang In-beom and Lee Jae-sung.
In attack, Son Heung-min is joined by Oh Hyeon-gyu and Cho Gue-sung as South Korea aim to make another deep run on the world stage.
