Son Heung-min to lead South Korea's 26-man squad for 4th World Cup

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, May 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea released their 26-man squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup on Saturday, with longtime captain Son Heung-min headed to his fourth and possibly final appearance at the sport's showpiece event.

Head coach Hong Myung-bo unveiled his team bound for the June 11-July 19 World Cup at a press conference in Seoul, carrying three forwards, 10 midfielders, 10 defenders and three goalkeepers. South Korea will play in Group A against Czechia, South Africa and Mexico, one of three co-host countries alongside Canada and the United States.

Once Son, now of Los Angeles Football Club, takes the field next month, the 33-year-old will become only the fourth South Korean to appear in four World Cup tournaments, joining Hong, former forward Hwang Sun-hong and ex-goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae.

Other no-brainer choices include Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in and Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae, both of whom also played at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

Besiktas forward Oh Hyeon-gyu made his first World Cup squad. He was a reserve at the 2022 tournament as a potential replacement for Son, who had suffered a facial fracture just before the World Cup, wouldn't be able to play. Son ended up playing all four matches wearing a mask then, and Oh was limited to training with the rest of the team without dressing once.

Hwang In-beom of Feyenoord was called up as he is making his way back from an ankle injury suffered during league play in March. He has been rehabbing with the help of national team medical staff in an effort to return for the World Cup.

Jens Castrop of Borussia Monchengladbach, who was born to a Korean mother and a German father, also made the team. He is the first player of mixed heritage born outside South Korea to be named to a South Korean World Cup squad.

The backline featured one major surprise in Gangwon FC defender Lee Gi-hyuk, who has earned just one cap so far. The 25-year-old is a rare left-footed center back who can also handle wingback or defensive midfielder duties. Lee, whose only previous national team appearance came at an East Asian tournament in July 2022, will be filling in for Kim Ju-sung, another left-footed center back who injured his right knee during a friendly against Austria in March.

In goal, two veterans who have taken turns in grabbing the No. 1 job at the past two World Cups will be back. Jo Hyeon-woo of Ulsan HD FC was the go-to keeper ahead of Kim Seung-gyu of FC Tokyo in 2018 in Russia, but Kim claimed the role over Jo in 2022.

Of the 26 players, 13 have earned their first World Cup call-ups. Kim Seung-gyu is the most senior player at 35. Castrop and Stoke City FC midfielder Bae Jun-ho are the youngest members at 22.

At the press conference, Hong noted the unprecedented nature of this year's World Cup, as it will be played across three countries for the first time, and said the ability to respond to different variables, such as extensive traveling and playing in different climates, will be "the most important aspect" of the tournament.

"We will try to turn these challenges into opportunities to pull off surprises," Hong said. "I am convinced that the players that we've selected have the experience and abilities necessary to play at the World Cup. I also believe they are capable of staying competitive in unfamiliar surroundings. We have always been underdogs at World Cups and this year's tournament will be a good opportunity for us to stage an upset."

In addition to his 26 players, Hong named three reserves in the category of "training partners." They are: Jeonbuk midfielder Kang Sang-yoon, Jeonbuk defender Cho Wi-je and FC Seoul goalkeeper Yoon Ki-wook.

"We wanted these players to experience firsthand what it takes to train for the national team," Hong said of the 20-something trio. Of the three, only Kang has prior national team experience with three caps. "If they learn from an early age what the pressure is like ahead of a big competition like this, then it will help their development immensely."

South Korea will play in their 11th consecutive World Cup and all three of their Group A matches will be in Mexico.

South Korea will open the tournament against Czechia at Guadalajara Stadium in Guadalajara at 8 p.m. June 11 (11 a.m. June 12 in South Korea), and then take on Mexico in Guadalajara again at 7 p.m. June 18 (10 a.m. June 19 in South Korea). The final group match will be against South Africa at Monterrey Stadium in Monterrey at 7 p.m. June 24 (10 a.m. June 25 in South Korea).

This will be the largest World Cup ever with 48 nations in action. The top two teams from each of the 12 groups will qualify for the knockout stage, joined by the eight best third-place nations.

South Korea will be chasing their second straight knockout berth after reaching the round of 16 in Qatar four years ago.

Hong and the players chosen from the domestic K League will travel to Salt Lake City on Monday to set up pre-World Cup training camp. The Korea Football Association chose the city in the state of Utah for altitude training in preparation for matches in Guadalajara, located some 1,500 meters above sea level.

South Korea will play friendlies against Trinidad and Tobago and El Salvador in Utah before traveling to Mexico.