South Korea at the 2026 World Cup – Squad, Stats, Fixtures & History
| FIFA Ranking | 22 |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Manager | Hong Myung-bo |
| Captain | Son Heung-min |
| Nickname | Taegeuk Warriors |
| World Cup Titles | 0 |
| World Cup Appearances | 11 |
| Best Finish | 4th place (2002) |
| 2022 World Cup | Round of 16 — lost to Brazil |
| 2026 Group | Group A (Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, Czech Republic) |
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Qualifying & history
Complete statistical breakdown from South Korea's AFC qualifying campaign and all-time World Cup history.
Qualifying campaign — detailed breakdown
| Final Position | Qualified |
| Record | W11 D5 L0 |
| Goals Scored | 40 (2.50/match) |
| Goals Conceded | 8 (0.50/match) |
| Goal Difference | +32 |
| Clean Sheets | 9 (56.3%) |
| Failed to Score | 1 matches (6.3%) |
| Biggest Win | 5-0 (H) / 0-7 (A) |
| Biggest Loss | — |
| Win Rate | 68.8% |
| Home Record | W4 D4 L0 (8 games) |
| Away Record | W7 D1 L0 (8 games) |
| Top Scorer | Son Heung-Min (7 goals) |
| Top Assister | Lee Kang-In (5 assists) |
| Most Carded | Tae-Youn Park (3 yellow) |
| Managers Used | Hong Myung-bo |
Standard stats — AFC World Cup Qualifiers 2026
| Player | Pos | Age | MP | Starts | Min | 90s | Gls | Ast | G+A | CrdY | CrdR | G+A/90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hwang In-Beom | M | 29 | 15 | 15 | 1138 | 12.6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.24 |
| Jo Hyeon-Woo | G | 34 | 13 | 13 | 1092 | 12.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Lee Kang-In | M | 24 | 15 | 13 | 1012 | 11.2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0.63 |
| Seol Young-Woo | D | 27 | 14 | 12 | 968 | 10.8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.09 |
| Lee Jae-Sung | M | 33 | 16 | 13 | 939 | 10.4 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0.67 |
| Son Heung-Min | A | 33 | 13 | 12 | 891 | 9.9 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1.11 |
| Kim Min-Jae | D | 29 | 10 | 10 | 818 | 9.1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.11 |
| Tae-Youn Park | M | 24 | 0 | 0 | 763 | 8.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Cho Yu-Min | D | 29 | 9 | 9 | 732 | 8.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Park Yong-Woo | M | 32 | 9 | 8 | 710 | 7.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Hwang Hee-Chan | M | 29 | 11 | 8 | 507 | 5.6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.36 |
| Lee Myung-Jae | D | 32 | 7 | 5 | 471 | 5.2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.19 |
| Oh Se-Hun | A | 26 | 9 | 5 | 426 | 4.7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.43 |
| Lee Tae-Seok | D | 23 | 5 | 4 | 378 | 4.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Kwon Kyung-Won | D | 33 | 5 | 5 | 364 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Joo Min-Kyu | A | 35 | 9 | 5 | 312 | 3.5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.29 |
| Kim Young-Gwon | D | 35 | 3 | 3 | 270 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Kim Jin-Su | D | 33 | 5 | 4 | 254 | 2.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Bae Jun-Ho | M | 22 | 8 | 2 | 247 | 2.7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1.85 |
| Oh Hyeon-Gyu | A | 24 | 9 | 1 | 231 | 2.6 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1.54 |
| Paik Seung-Ho | M | 28 | 6 | 3 | 202 | 2.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Jung Seung-Hyun | D | 31 | 3 | 3 | 180 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.50 |
| Jeong Woo-Yeong | M | 26 | 4 | 1 | 166 | 1.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Cho Gue-Sung | A | 27 | 4 | 3 | 144 | 1.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Jung Woo-Young | M | 36 | 3 | 3 | 112 | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| SQUAD TOTAL | 251 | 175 | 14831 | 164.8 | 28 | 23 | 51 | 18 | 0 | — | ||
Updated from qualifying campaign data
Shooting stats — AFC World Cup Qualifiers 2026
| Player | Pos | Age | 90s | Gls | Sh | SoT | SoT% | Sh/90 | G/Sh | G/SoT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Son Heung-Min | A | 33 | 9.9 | 7 | 26 | 18 | 69.2% | 2.63 | 0.27 | 0.39 |
| Lee Jae-Sung | M | 33 | 10.4 | 5 | 11 | 7 | 63.6% | 1.06 | 0.45 | 0.71 |
| Oh Hyeon-Gyu | A | 24 | 2.6 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 70.0% | 3.85 | 0.40 | 0.57 |
| Lee Kang-In | M | 24 | 11.2 | 2 | 19 | 10 | 52.6% | 1.70 | 0.11 | 0.20 |
| Oh Se-Hun | A | 26 | 4.7 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 60.0% | 2.13 | 0.20 | 0.33 |
| Hwang Hee-Chan | M | 29 | 5.6 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 80.0% | 0.89 | 0.40 | 0.50 |
| Joo Min-Kyu | A | 35 | 3.5 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 62.5% | 2.29 | 0.13 | 0.20 |
| Bae Jun-Ho | M | 22 | 2.7 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 60.0% | 1.85 | 0.20 | 0.33 |
| Jung Seung-Hyun | D | 31 | 2.0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 100.0% | 1.00 | 0.50 | 0.50 |
| Park Jin-Seop | M | 30 | 0.5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 50.0% | 4.00 | 0.50 | 1.00 |
| Jeon Jin-Woo | M | 26 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Kim Jin-Gyu | M | 28 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 2.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Hwang In-Beom | M | 29 | 12.6 | 0 | 16 | 4 | 25.0% | 1.27 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Tae-Youn Park | M | 24 | 8.5 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 20.0% | 0.59 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Lee Myung-Jae | D | 32 | 5.2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 25.0% | 0.77 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Cho Gue-Sung | A | 27 | 1.6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 25.0% | 2.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Cho Yu-Min | D | 29 | 8.1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.37 | 0.00 | — |
| Paik Seung-Ho | M | 28 | 2.2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 33.3% | 1.36 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Seol Young-Woo | D | 27 | 10.8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.19 | 0.00 | — |
| Kwon Kyung-Won | D | 33 | 4.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 50.0% | 0.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| SQUAD TOTAL | 164.8 | 28 | 149 | 78 | 52.3% | — | — | — | ||
Goalkeeping stats — AFC World Cup Qualifiers 2026
| Player | Age | MP | Starts | Min | 90s | GA | GA90 | SoTA | Saves | Save% | CS | CS% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jo Hyeon-Woo | 34 | 13 | 13 | 1092 | 12.1 | 8 | 0.66 | — | 14 | — | — | — |
| Lee Chang-Geun | 32 | 1 | 1 | 93 | 1.0 | 0 | 0.00 | — | 0 | — | — | — |
| Kim Seung-Gyu | 35 | 2 | 2 | 90 | 1.0 | 0 | 0.00 | — | 0 | — | — | — |
| SQUAD TOTAL | 16 | 16 | 1275 | 14.2 | 8 | 0.56 | — | 14 | — | — | — | |
Playing time — AFC World Cup Qualifiers 2026
| Player | Pos | Age | MP | Min | Min% | Starts | Subs | Complete 90s | PPM | On-Off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hwang In-Beom | M | 29 | 15 | 1138 | 7.7% | 15 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Jo Hyeon-Woo | G | 34 | 13 | 1092 | 7.4% | 13 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Lee Kang-In | M | 24 | 15 | 1012 | 6.8% | 13 | 2 | — | — | — |
| Seol Young-Woo | D | 27 | 14 | 968 | 6.5% | 12 | 2 | — | — | — |
| Lee Jae-Sung | M | 33 | 16 | 939 | 6.3% | 13 | 3 | — | — | — |
| Son Heung-Min | A | 33 | 13 | 891 | 6.0% | 12 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Kim Min-Jae | D | 29 | 10 | 818 | 5.5% | 10 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Tae-Youn Park | M | 24 | 0 | 763 | 5.1% | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Cho Yu-Min | D | 29 | 9 | 732 | 4.9% | 9 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Park Yong-Woo | M | 32 | 9 | 710 | 4.8% | 8 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Hwang Hee-Chan | M | 29 | 11 | 507 | 3.4% | 8 | 3 | — | — | — |
| Lee Myung-Jae | D | 32 | 7 | 471 | 3.2% | 5 | 2 | — | — | — |
| Oh Se-Hun | A | 26 | 9 | 426 | 2.9% | 5 | 4 | — | — | — |
| Lee Tae-Seok | D | 23 | 5 | 378 | 2.5% | 4 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Kwon Kyung-Won | D | 33 | 5 | 364 | 2.5% | 5 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Joo Min-Kyu | A | 35 | 9 | 312 | 2.1% | 5 | 4 | — | — | — |
| Kim Young-Gwon | D | 35 | 3 | 270 | 1.8% | 3 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Kim Jin-Su | D | 33 | 5 | 254 | 1.7% | 4 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Bae Jun-Ho | M | 22 | 8 | 247 | 1.7% | 2 | 6 | — | — | — |
| Oh Hyeon-Gyu | A | 24 | 9 | 231 | 1.6% | 1 | 8 | — | — | — |
| Paik Seung-Ho | M | 28 | 6 | 202 | 1.4% | 3 | 3 | — | — | — |
| Jung Seung-Hyun | D | 31 | 3 | 180 | 1.2% | 3 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Jeong Woo-Yeong | M | 26 | 4 | 166 | 1.1% | 1 | 3 | — | — | — |
| Cho Gue-Sung | A | 27 | 4 | 144 | 1.0% | 3 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Jung Woo-Young | M | 36 | 3 | 112 | 0.8% | 3 | 0 | — | — | — |
PPM = Points per match when player was on the pitch.
Discipline & miscellaneous — AFC World Cup Qualifiers 2026
| Player | Pos | Age | 90s | CrdY | CrdR | Fls | Fld | Off | Int | TklW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tae-Youn Park | M | 24 | 8.5 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 9 | — | — | — |
| Park Yong-Woo | M | 32 | 7.9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Lee Tae-Seok | D | 23 | 4.2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 4 | — | — | — |
| Moon Seon-Min | A | 33 | 0.7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Hwang In-Beom | M | 29 | 12.6 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 14 | — | — | — |
| Lee Kang-In | M | 24 | 11.2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 7 | — | — | — |
| Seol Young-Woo | D | 27 | 10.8 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 16 | — | — | — |
| Lee Jae-Sung | M | 33 | 10.4 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 11 | — | — | — |
| Cho Yu-Min | D | 29 | 8.1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 4 | — | — | — |
| Oh Hyeon-Gyu | A | 24 | 2.6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — |
| Jeong Woo-Yeong | M | 26 | 1.8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — |
| Cho Gue-Sung | A | 27 | 1.6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| Lee Soon-Min | M | 31 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Jo Hyeon-Woo | G | 34 | 12.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Son Heung-Min | A | 33 | 9.9 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 19 | — | — | — |
| Kim Min-Jae | D | 29 | 9.1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Hwang Hee-Chan | M | 29 | 5.6 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 13 | — | — | — |
| Lee Myung-Jae | D | 32 | 5.2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| Oh Se-Hun | A | 26 | 4.7 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — |
| Kwon Kyung-Won | D | 33 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Joo Min-Kyu | A | 35 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — |
| Kim Young-Gwon | D | 35 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | — | — | — |
| Kim Jin-Su | D | 33 | 2.8 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | — | — | — |
| Bae Jun-Ho | M | 22 | 2.7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | — | — | — |
| Paik Seung-Ho | M | 28 | 2.2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — |
| SQUAD TOTAL | 164.8 | 18 | 0 | 146 | 145 | — | — | — | ||
CrdY = Yellow cards · CrdR = Red cards · Fls = Fouls committed · Fld = Fouls drawn · Off = Offsides · Int = Interceptions · TklW = Tackles won
Scores & fixtures — AFC World Cup Qualifiers 2026
| Date | MD | Venue | Opponent | Result | GF | GA | Formation | Captain | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loading fixtures... | |||||||||
Qualifying record: AFC 3rd Round — Group B winners
Formation usage — 2024–2026
| Formation | Times Used | W | D | L | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-2-3-1 | 10 | — | — | — | 62.5% |
| 4-3-3 | 3 | — | — | — | 18.8% |
| 4-2-2-2 | 1 | — | — | — | 6.3% |
| 4-2-1-3 | 1 | — | — | — | 6.3% |
| 4-1-4-1 | 1 | — | — | — | 6.3% |
Primary formation: 4-2-3-1 (used in 62.5% of qualifying matches)
All-time World Cup record
| World Cup Appearances | 11 |
| Total Matches | 37 |
| Record | W7 D9 L21 |
| Win Rate | 18.9% |
| Goals | 35 scored, 72 conceded (GD -37) |
| Titles | 0 |
| Best Finish | 4th place (2002) |
Year-by-year results
| Year | Host | Result | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Qatar | Round of 16 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| 2018 | Russia | Group stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 2014 | Brazil | Group stage | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 2010 | South Africa | Round of 16 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
| 2006 | Germany | Group stage | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 2002 | South Korea/Japan | 4th place | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 6 |
| 1998 | France | Group stage | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| 1994 | USA | Group stage | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 1990 | Italy | Group stage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 1986 | Mexico | Group stage | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| 1954 | Switzerland | Group stage | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16 |
| TOTAL | 11 editions | 37 | 7 | 9 | 21 | 35 | 72 | |
South Korea all-time top scorers at World Cups
| # | Player | Goals | Tournaments | Years Active |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🏆 1 | Son Heung-min | 4 | 3 | 2014–2022 |
| 2 | Ahn Jung-hwan | 3 | 2 | 1998–2002 |
| 3 | Park Ji-sung | 3 | 3 | 2002–2010 |
| 4 | Hwang Sun-hong | 2 | 1 | 2002 |
| 5 | Cho Gue-sung | 2 | 1 | 2022 |
Head-to-head vs Group A opponents
vs Mexico
4
Total
0
South Korea W
1
Draws
3
Mexico W
Last meeting: Mexico 1-0 South Korea · June 2026
vs South Africa
1
Total
0
South Korea W
0
Draws
1
South Africa W
Last meeting: South Africa 1-0 South Korea · June 2026
vs Czech Republic
1
Total
1
South Korea W
0
Draws
0
Czech Republic W
Last meeting: South Korea 2-1 Czechia · June 2026
Brazil
Argentina
Spain
France
England
Germany
Portugal
Netherlands
USA