Son Heung-min to lead Korea's 2026 World Cup squad as roster announced
Published: 16 May. 2026, 17:48
Los Angeles FC forward Son Heung-min sprints during the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals against Deportivo Toluca at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on April 29. [REUTERS/YONHAP]
Los Angeles FC forward Son Heung-min will lead Korea at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae and Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom alongside fellow regular picks and other veterans.
National team manager Hong Myung-bo on Saturday announced his 26-man roster at KT Gwanghwamun West Building in central Seoul, ahead of the World Cup in June.
Regular captain Son is in the forward lineup with Oh Hyeon-gyu of Beskitas and Cho Gue-sung of FC Midtjylland. This marks Son's fourth time making it to the final World Cup squad since his tournament debut in 2014.
Oh joins the 2026 World Cup squad after failing to play a single minute at the 2022 edition, where he was on the reserve list. As for Cho, the call-up comes after becoming the first Korean player to score a double in a 2022 World Cup match against Ghana and seeing an up-and-down stint with FC Midtjylland, where he missed the entire 2024-25 season due to injury but returned to action and scored a few goals in the 2025-26 campaign,
Lee Jae-sung is the second most capped player on the squad with 103 caps, with Son topping the list at 142.
Over in the midfield lineup, versatile midfielder Hwang In-beom is joined by nine other players: Yang Hyun-jun of Celtic, Paik Seung-ho of Birmingham City, Kim Jin-gyu of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Bae Jun-ho of Stoke City, Eom Ji-sung of Swansea City, Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Lee Dong-gyeong of Ulsan HD, Lee Jae-sung of Mainz and Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain.
Hwang In-beom suffered an ankle injury in March, but has been recovering since.
Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom fights for the ball with Real Betis' Marc Roca during the UEFA Europa League match at La Cartuja Stadium in Seville on Jan. 29. [AFP/YONHAP]
Lee Seung-woo of Jeonbuk, who had been viewed as a versatile attacking option, missed out on being selected.
Hong filled the winger positions with Bae, Eom and Yang. Yang can execute both the winger and wingback roles in Hong's 3-4-3 formation.
The defense lineup includes veteran Kim Min-jae and Jens Castrop of Borrusia Monchengladbach, who can also play as a wingback. Castrop, who was born to a Korean mother and German father, is the first foreign-born, mixed-heritage player to represent Korea in World Cup play.
Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae, front, in action during the UEFA Champions League semifinal match against Paris Saint-Germain in Munich, Germany, on May 6. [EPA/YONHAP]
The two join the rest of defenders Cho Yu-min of Sharjah FC, Lee Han-beom of FC Midtjylland, Kim Tae-hyeon of Kashima Antlers, Park Jin-seob of Zhejiang Professional FC, Lee Ki-hyuk of Gangwon FC, Lee Tae-seok of FK Austria Wien, Seol Young-woo of Red Star Belgrade and Kim Moon-hwan of Daejeon Hana Citizen.
Goalkeepers Kim Seung-gyu of FC Tokyo, Jo Hyeon-woo of Ulsan and Song Bum-keun of Jeonbuk complete the squad.
Korea will play a two-game tuneup series against Trinidad and Tobago on May 30 and El Salvador in Utah on June 3, before starting their World Cup journey in Group A, where they will face co-host Mexico, South Africa and the Czech Republic.
The Taeguk Warriors head to this year's expanded 48-team World Cup on the back of a round of 16 finish in 2022, which was the country's first time reaching the knockout stage in 12 years.
The knockout stage of this year's tournament starts from the round of 32, as opposed to 16. The 32-team stage will see top two teams each from 12 groups alongside the eight best third-ranked teams.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK LIN [
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