SEOUL, May 17 (AJP) - Son Heung-min will lead South Korea to his fourth and possibly final World Cup after head coach Hong Myung-bo named the 26-man squad for the 2026 tournament on Saturday.
Hong announced the roster in Seoul, selecting three forwards, 10 midfielders, 10 defenders and three goalkeepers for the June 11-July 19 World Cup in North America.
South Korea competes in Group A against Czechia, South Africa and Mexico, with all three group-stage matches to be played in Mexico.
Son, now with Los Angeles FC, will become only the fourth South Korean player to appear in four World Cups, joining Hong Myung-bo, Hwang Sun-hong and former goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae. The 33-year-old previously played at the 2014 Brazil, 2018 Russia and 2022 Qatar tournaments.
Key European-based players Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain and Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich were also included, along with Mainz midfielder Lee Jae-sung and Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom, who is recovering from an ankle injury.
Besiktas forward Oh Hyeon-gyu earned his first World Cup call-up after serving as a reserve player at the 2022 tournament, when Son was recovering from a facial fracture but ultimately played all four matches in Qatar wearing a protective mask.
Jens Castrop of Borussia Monchengladbach also made history as the first foreign-born player of mixed heritage to be named to South Korea’s World Cup squad. The 22-year-old was born to a Korean mother and German father.
Gangwon FC defender Lee Gi-hyuk was among the surprise selections. The left-footed center back, who has only one senior cap, was chosen to help fill the gap left by injured defender Kim Ju-sung.
Veteran goalkeepers Kim Seung-gyu and Jo Hyeon-woo were both included, continuing their long-running competition for the No. 1 spot. Kim, 35, is the oldest player in the squad, while Castrop and Stoke City midfielder Bae Jun-ho, both 22, are the youngest.
Hong also named three “training partners”: Jeonbuk midfielder Kang Sang-yoon, Jeonbuk defender Cho Wi-je and FC Seoul goalkeeper Yoon Ki-wook.
South Korea will open its campaign against Czechia in Guadalajara on June 11, followed by Mexico on June 18 and South Africa in Monterrey on June 24.
The team will depart for Salt Lake City on Monday for altitude training before playing friendlies against Trinidad and Tobago and El Salvador. South Korea will then move to its base camp in Guadalajara on June 5.
Hong said the expanded 48-team tournament, staged across three countries for the first time, would test teams’ ability to cope with travel, altitude and climate conditions.
“We will try to turn these challenges into opportunities to pull off surprises,” Hong said. “We have always been underdogs at World Cups, and this year’s tournament will be a good opportunity for us to stage an upset.”
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