South Korea are at the World Cup for the 11th consecutive tournament. They’ll be looking to reach the quarter-finals for just the second time in their history.
The Taegeuk Warriors finished foured in 2002 when they co-hosted the tournament, but haven’t made it past the last-16 since. They exited at that stage in 2022, beaten routinely by Brazil.
Get all the latest South Korea stats as the tournament unfolds plus the latest squad, manager and fixture information for the Asian side here.
South Korea route to the World Cup
As expected, South Korea cruised through AFC qualifying while barely missing a beat. Having entered in Round Two, they topped Group C with five wins and one draw from six games, finishing above China, Thailand and Singapore.
From there, the Hong Myung-bo’s men were placed in Group B in Round Three. They secured top spot in that group ahead of the likes of Jordan and Iraq without losing a game, winning six and drawing four.
That brought the Taeguk Warriors’ campaign to a close with a complete record of 11 wins and five draws from 16 matches, although draws against the likes of Palestine and Oman may be some cause for concern.
South Korea World Cup 2026 fixtures
South Korea will take part in the second game of the 2026 World Cup when they take on Czechia at Estadio Akron on the opening day of the tournament on 11th June.
They’ll remain in Guadalajara for their second fixture against co-hosts Mexico on 18th June in what could be a fiery atmosphere. Finally, for the group stage at least, South Korea will head to Guadalupe on 24th June where they’ll play South Africa at Estadio BBVA.
READ MORE: Get the latest South Korea World Cup 2026 outright odds here
South Korea key players for World Cup 2026
South Korea top World Cup Golden Boot contender: Heung-min Son
- Key stat: Son Heung-min is South Korea’s top all-time appearance maker and all-time top goalscorer with 54 strikes in his 140 appearances.
Son Heung-min left Tottenham Hotspur as a legend in the summer of 2025 and although it’s fair to say his influence was waning on the Premier League stage, he started brilliantly in Major League Soccer. Son has scored nine goals in 15 MLS games for Los Angeles FC so far. He remains the talisman for this South Korea outfit, scoring 10 times in qualifying to help power the team to a confident, unbeaten campaign.
South Korea primary playmaker: Lee Kang-in
- Key stat: PSG attacker Lee Kang-in assisted six of South Korea’s goals in qualifying and he also ended last season’s Ligue 1 campaign with six assists.
Once Heung-min Son’s international race is run, Lee Kang-in will no doubt be seen as South Korea’s shining light. The PSG forward already has 44 caps and 11 goals aged just 24 and he was their main creative force in qualifying, with six assists. He’s been limited to mostly substitute appearances for les Parisiens this season, but ended the 2024-25 campaign with six goals and six assists from 19 starts.
South Korea card magnets & top tacklers: Lee Tae-seok
- Key stat: Lee Tae-seok won 15 tackles for South Korea in qualifying, more than any other player in the Taeguk Warriors squad
Austria Wien full-back Lee Tae-seok has seemingly managed to secure the South Korea left wing-back berth as his own and the 23-year-old will be tasked with keeping some talented players in check this summer. He made 15 tackles in qualifying and he was shown four yellow cards for Pohang Steelers in his last season in the K-League before moving to Europe.
South Korea rising star: Yang Min-hyeok
Tottenham Hotspur’s Yang Min-hyeok has already made two appearances for the South Korea national team aged just 19 and he’s impressed on loan at Portsmouth and Queens Park Rangers already, securing a move to Championship leaders Coventry on another loan deal in January. A pacey, creative wide player he could be seen as the long-term successor to Son Heung-min both in Korea and in North London.
STAND-OUT STAT: South Korea have competed in the World Cup more often than any other Asian nation. This will be their 12th appearance.
South Korea set-piece specialists
- Penalties: Son Heung-min
- Free kicks: Lee Kang-in, Son Heung-min
- Corners: Lee Kang-in, Son Heung-min
South Korea tactical analysis and formation
South Korea team stats (average per game)
- Corners: 5.43
- Shots on target: 3.25
- Shots on target conceded: 1.06
South Korea are one of many international teams that have adopted a back three formation in recent years. The flexibility of this shape allows teams to sit in a mid or low block when required, but also allows the Taeguk Warriors to adopt a more attacking and fluid approach. Given that they’ve entered quite a well-matched group, this could serve them well as games could change quickly in Group A.
The experienced Kim Seung-gyu will hope to beat Jo Hyeon-woo to the number one spot, while Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae is the only guaranteed starter in the back three. Birmingham City’s Paik Seung-ho will hope to partner Hwang In-beom in the double pivot while the front three of Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in and Hwang Hee-chan represents a good combination of skill, game intelligence and experience.
Get the latest South Korea World Cup goals, assists, shots, passes and tackle stats here
South Korea manager analysis
One of South Korea’s most capped players, Hong Myung-bo returned to the national team for a second spell as head coach in 2024. He’ll hope his second spell can bring more success as his previous World Cup campaign as manager resulted in zero wins and a group stage exit back in 2014.
Since that brief spell in charge of the national team in 2014, Myung-bo has won two title with Ulsan HD in South Korea and enhanced his reputation considerably. A popular figure during his playing days, the team’s form under him so far gives many Korean fans hope for a successful tournament this time around.
A defence-first coach, his approach may be well-suited to a South Korea side that possesses star quality in attack but needs structure in the deeper areas of the field. His team will be difficult to break down but in Lee Kang-in and Son Heung-min they also possess players who can hurt any team in the tournament on their day.
| Coach | Team | P | W | D | L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Myung-bo | South Korea | 38 | 17 | 9 | 12 | 44.74 |
South Korea World Cup FAQs
Have South Korea ever won the World Cup?
No, South Korea have never won the World Cup. This will be their 12th appearance at the finals with their best ever finish being fourth place in 2002 when they were co-hosts alongside Japan.
Where did South Korea finish in the last World Cup?
South Korea made it to the knock-out stages in Qatar four years ago. After a draw with Uruguay and a defeat to Ghana, a shock victory over Portugal secured second place in Group H. However, they were then beaten 4-1 by Brazil in the Round of 16.
Who will be South Korea captain at the World Cup?
Unsurprisingly, Son Heung-min is the current South Korea captain. He was appointed first-team captain officially in 2019 ahead of the AFC Asian Cup.
Who is South Korea’s top scorer at World Cups?
Three players have scored three times at World Cups for South Korea. Ahn Jung-hwan, Park-Ji Sung and Son Heung-min. The South Korea captain could pull ahead with a goal at this tournament – his previous three have come across three different tournaments in 2014, 2018 and 2022.
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