Son Heung-min has been selected for his fourth World Cup, with South Korea naming the 33-year-old captain in an experienced squad for the 2026 tournament. The former Tottenham Hotspur forward, who left Spurs last year and now plays for Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC, remains the headline name in Hong Myung-bo’s group.
South Korea will open its campaign against the Czech Republic on 12 June, then meet co-hosts Mexico on 19 June in Guadalajara before finishing Group A against South Africa on 25 June in Monterrey. Those dates give the squad a clear countdown, and they also underline why Hong’s selection leaned on proven internationals rather than experimentation.
The list includes Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan, Paris St-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in and Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae, alongside Bae Jun-ho of Stoke, Paik Seung-ho of Birmingham, Yang Hyun-jun of Celtic and Eom Ji-sung of Swansea. In all, the squad draws from clubs in England, Scotland, Germany and France, while keeping a strong domestic core as South Korea prepares for a group that will test both pace and discipline.
The most notable addition may be Jens Castrop of Borussia Monchengladbach, the first player with dual heritage to make a South Korea World Cup squad. Castrop, who has a German father and a Korean mother, played at age-group level for Germany before switching allegiance last year and has represented South Korea five times since then. His inclusion gives Hong another option in midfield and a sign of how the team’s player pool is changing.
South Korea’s goalkeepers are Jo Hyeon-woo, Kim Seung-gyu and Song Bum-keun. The defenders selected are Kim Moon-hwan, Kim Min-jae, Kim Tae-hyon, Park Jin-seob, Seol Young-woo, Jens Castrop, Lee Ki-hyuk, Lee Tae-seok, Lee Han-beom and Cho Yu-min. The midfield group also includes Kim Jin-gyu, Lee Dong-gyeong, Lee Jae-sung, Hwang In-beom and Hwang Hee-chan, while the forwards are Son, Oh Hyeon-gyu and Cho Gue-sung.
For Son, the call is a continuation rather than a farewell tour. He has already been through three World Cups, and South Korea is again asking its captain to lead a squad built to compete, not simply to participate. With a difficult Group A ahead, Hong has made his preference clear: trust the players who have already carried the team, and let the tournament sort out the rest.
That approach also places extra weight on the opening match. If South Korea want a route out of Group A, the meeting with the Czech Republic on 12 June is the one that should set the tone, because the games that follow in Guadalajara and Monterrey will leave little room for recovery.
