Download the app
← Latest news

Son Heung-min named to lead South Korea as coach Hong Myung-bo unveils 26 man World Cup squad

Sports
Published on 16 May 2026
Son Heung-min named to lead South Korea as coach Hong Myung-bo unveils 26 man World Cup squad

Hong’s plan hinges on an injured midfielder’s fitness

South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo has named a 26-man squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026, handing captaincy expectations to Son Heung-min as the tournament begins in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The squad marks Son’s fourth World Cup and extends Korea’s streak of successive appearances to 11, since 1986. Coach Hong’s primary target is reaching the round of 32, with Hwang In-beom called up despite an ankle injury. Korea opens in Mexico on June 11 vs the Czech Republic.

  • Hong Myung-bo named a 26-man squad for World Cup 2026
  • Son Heung-min, now at LAFC, is set to lead South Korea
  • The squad keeps Korea’s 11 straight World Cup appearances alive
  • Hwang In-beom was called up despite an ankle injury
  • Korea’s Group A opener is June 11 in Mexico vs Czech Republic
  • Warmups include matches vs Trinidad and Tobago and El Salvador
Read the full story at Republic

This summarization was done by Beige for a story published on RepublicRepublic

The full experience is on mobile.

Swipe through stories, personalise your feed, and save articles for later — all on the app.