South Korea took (almost) everyone by surprise when they made it deep into the knockouts of the World Cup 2022. After failing to progress past the group stage in the two previous editions, the Taeguk Warriors finished as the second seed behind Portugal in Group H before losing 4-1 to Brazil in the Round of 16. Since then, they brought back Hong Myung-bo as their head coach, and South Korea qualified for the World Cup 2026 with ease by topping Group C in the second round.
Carrying their experience from the previous finals, South Korea are determined to make a deeper run and hopefully surpass their best finish in the quadrennial tournament, when they finished fourth in 2002, despite the unfavourable World Cup 2026 odds.
It’s a tall mountain to climb for South Korea, but that won’t deter them from trying. And today, SBOTOP breaks down their chances in the competition.
South Korea have a stronger European contingent
South Korea will fancy their chances because they maintained their core. They still have most of their old guard, including skipper Son Heung-min, but their younger players from back then have also grown and are now playing for various European clubs.
Lee Kang-in and Cho Gue-sung were much younger back then in 2022. Since then, Lee has joined PSG and won numerous trophies there, including three Ligue 1 titles and back-to-back Champions League trophies. Meanwhile, Cho is playing his trade with Midtjylland in Denmark, who reached the Round of 16 of the Europa League before narrowly losing to Nottingham Forest last March.
Son has left Tottenham and is doing well in LAFC. Lee Jae-sung is with Mainz. Hwang Hee-chan is playing for the Wolves. Bae Jun-ho is with Stoke City. Oh Hyeon-gyu plays for Besiktas in Turkey. And Kim Min-jae has spent the past few years of his career with Bayern Munich, winning several Bundesliga trophies. Jens Castrop is South Korea’s latest recruit, and the 22-year-old wing-back is with Borussia Monchengladbach.
With all the tools at his disposal, it’s up to head coach Hong Myung-bo to find the right mix, especially against their higher-ranked opponents in the World Cup.
But South Korea’s midfield depth is a concern
If there’s one thing to nitpick about South Korea’s World Cup roster: it’s their midfield, which could be overpowered by the more athletic teams in the quadrennial tournament.
The Taeguk Warriors don’t have a recognisable enforcer in the middle of the park, as Park Yong-woo has been ruled out. Paik Seung-ho, who would’ve been next in line, was also an uncertainty due to an injury of his own, but at least he made it to the list.
However, the inclusion of Hwang In-beom has raised their hopes, as the Feyenoord playmaker is arguably their x-factor. The 29-year-old helped Feyenoord finish second in the Dutch Eredivisie this year, contributing one goal and three assists. Hwang dealt with an ankle injury, but is expected to recover in time for the summer, and he’s one of South Korea’s most versatile players.
Perhaps Lee Kang-in could assume the No. 10 role for South Korea while relieving Son Heung-min of some of the attacking responsibility. Lee Jae-sung and Hwang Hee-chan could also help, but besides them, Yang Hyun-jun, Kim Jin-gyu, Eom Ji-sung, and Lee Dong-gyeong are relatively inexperienced at this position.
Making it to the knockouts is the bare minimum
South Korea have a straightforward path to the World Cup knockouts, at least. The Taeguk Warriors are in Group A with Mexico, South Africa, and the Czech Republic, so they should be able to get enough positive World Cup 2026 results to clinch a Top 2 berth.
Assuming they finish second behind Mexico, South Korea will face the Group B runner-up first in the Round of 32, which could be either Canada or Bosnia and Herzegovina. If they win that game, they could face the Netherlands or Morocco in the Round of 16, and reaching the quarter-finals is already considered an overachievement.
Furthermore, the big picture for South Korea is their changing of the guard, as skipper Son Heung-min is slowly approaching the twilight of his professional career. They have to start preparing for life without him and at least give him a hand in 2026. Son is no guarantee to play at the next World Cup, when he’ll be 37. So, the World Cup 2026 could be the potential swansong of one of their best exports, and this tournament can determine who will take over the national team for the foreseeable future.
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