South Korea booked their place at the World Cup during the third round of Asian qualifying. Drawn into Group B alongside Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Palestine, and Kuwait, they finished top of the table with 22 points, going unbeaten with four draws to their name.
The squad is headlined by Los Angeles FC forward Son Heung-min, who will be making his fourth World Cup appearance. Son is already South Korea's all-time leader in caps with 142 and sits just five goals short of becoming the country's all-time top scorer. The roster also includes regular starters such as Kim Min-jae and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in.
Versatile defender Jens Castrop is another notable inclusion. Born in Germany and a former youth international for the country, he pledged his allegiance to South Korea last year and has already featured in several friendlies. Castrop offers tactical flexibility, capable of operating in midfield as well as at wing-back.
South Korea will play two warm-up friendlies before the tournament: against Trinidad and Tobago on May 30th, and El Salvador in Utah on June 3rd. They will then open their World Cup campaign in Group A on June 11th against the Czech Republic at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico.
South Korea 2026 World Cup Squad:
Goalkeepers: Jo Hyun-woo (Ulsan HD), Kim Seung-gyu (FC Tokyo), Song Bum-keun (Jeonbuk Hyundai)
Defenders: Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Jo Yu-min (Sharjah), Lee Han-beom (Midtjylland), Kim Tae-hyun (Kashima Antlers), Park Jin-seop (Zhejiang FC), Lee Ki-hyeok (Gangwon FC), Lee Tae-seok (Austria Vienna), Seol Young-woo (Red Star Belgrade), Jens Castrop (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Kim Moon-hwan (Daejeon Hana)
Midfielders: Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic), Paik Seung-ho (Birmingham City), Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), Kim Jin-kyu (Jeonbuk Hyundai), Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), Um Ji-sung (Swansea City), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Lee Dong-gyeong (Ulsan HD), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain)
Forwards: Oh Hyun-kyu (Besiktas), Son Heung-min (LA FC), Cho Kyu-sung (Midtjylland)
