South Korea qualified for an 11th consecutive World Cup, the longest active streak by any Asian nation.
South Korea
AFC · 12th World Cup appearance · Group A
Featured facts
South Korea have conceded in each of their last 3 World Cup matches, letting in 8 goals in total.
South Korea have scored in each of their last 3 World Cup matches, netting 5 goals in total.
Show all 8 stats ↓Hide ↑
Hong Myung-bo returns to manage South Korea at the World Cup, 12 years after leading them in 2014.
South Korea have advanced beyond the first group stage 3 times in 11 applicable World Cup group-stage appearances.
South Korea’s World Cup opening-match record is 3W-3D-5L across 11 appearances (11-22 goals). They have failed to score 4 times and kept 3 clean sheets in those opening games.
South Korea have won 4 of their last 6 international matches (4W-0D-2L).
South Korea have kept 3 clean sheets in their last 5 international matches, scoring 7 goals at the other end.
2026 Fixtures
World Cup record
12
World Cup appearances
Best result: Third place
39
matches played
8 won · 10 drawn · 21 lost
-38
goal difference
41 scored · 79 conceded
Recent World Cups
2022Round of 16W1 D1 L2→2018Group stageW1 D0 L2→2014Group stageW0 D1 L2→
Show 8 earlier appearancesHide earlier appearances↓
All-time top scorers
1Ahn Jung Hwan3goals
2Son Heung-min20263goals
3Myung-Bo Hong2goals
4Kim Young-gwon2goals
5Hwang Sun Hong2goals
6Yoo Sang-Chul2goals
7Park Ji Sung2goals
8Lee Jung-soo2goals
9Lee Chung-yong2goals
10Cho Gue-sung20262goals
Team profile
South Korea's best World Cup finish is a third-place finish, reached in 2002.
South Korea have an average squad age of 27.5 at the 2026 World Cup.
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors supply 3 players to South Korea's 2026 World Cup squad, more than any other club.
2026 Squad
| # | Name | Birthdate (Age) | Club | WC Apps | WC Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kim Seung-gyuG | 30 Sept 1990(35) | FC Tokyo | 6 | 0 |
| 2 | Lee Han-beomD | 17 Jun 2002(23) | Midtjylland | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | Lee Gi-hyukM | 7 Jul 2000(25) | Gangwon FC | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | Kim Min-jaeD | 15 Nov 1996(29) | Bayern Munich | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | Kim Tae-hyeonD | 17 Sept 2000(25) | Kashima Antlers | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Hwang In-beomM | 20 Sept 1996(29) | Feyenoord | 5 | 1 |
| 7 | Son Heung-minF | 8 Jul 1992(33) | Los Angeles FC | 11 | 3 |
| 8 | Paik Seung-hoM | 17 Mar 1997(29) | Birmingham City | 2 | 1 |
| 9 | Cho Gue-sungF | 25 Jan 1998(28) | Midtjylland | 4 | 2 |
| 10 | Lee Jae-sungM | 10 Aug 1992(33) | Mainz 05 | 7 | 0 |
| 11 | Hwang Hee-chanM | 26 Jan 1996(30) | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 6 | 1 |
| 12 | Song Bum-keunG | 15 Oct 1997(28) | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Lee Tae-seokD | 28 Jul 2002(23) | Austria Wien | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | Cho Wi-jeD | 25 Aug 2001(24) | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Kim Moon-hwanD | 1 Aug 1995(30) | Daejeon Hana Citizen | 4 | 0 |
| 16 | Park Jin-seobD | 23 Oct 1995(30) | Zhejiang | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | Bae Jun-hoM | 21 Aug 2003(22) | Stoke City | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Oh Hyeon-gyuF | 12 Apr 2001(25) | Beşiktaş | 1 | 1 |
| 19 | Lee Kang-inM | 19 Feb 2001(25) | Paris Saint- Germain | 5 | 0 |
| 20 | Yang Hyun-junM | 25 May 2002(24) | Celtic | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Jo Hyeon-wooG | 25 Sept 1991(34) | Ulsan HD | 3 | 0 |
| 22 | Seol Young-wooD | 5 Dec 1998(27) | Red Star Belgrade | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | Jens CastropD | 29 Jul 2003(22) | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Kim Jin-gyuM | 24 Feb 1997(29) | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 1 | 0 |
| 25 | Eom Ji-sungM | 9 May 2002(24) | Swansea City | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | Lee Dong-gyeongM | 20 Sept 1997(28) | Ulsan HD | 0 | 0 |