Last time out, in Qatar, they reached the round of 16, losing 4-1 to Brazil. Prior to that, they held Uruguay to a draw and managed to beat Portugal, to finish second in their group.
The Asian nation will be hoping to go as far in the competition as they did back in 2002, when they reached the semi-finals. They lost 3-2 to Turkey in the third place play-off that year, to finish fourth.
Since that tournament, they have not quite been able to reach the same heights – twice exiting the competition in the group stages and twice in the rounds of 16.
This year, the Taegeuk Warriors are led by Hong Myung-bo, one of the heroes of 2002 and a player regarded as one of the greatest Asian defenders of all time.
Road to North America
Firstly, they finished top of the second round AFC Qualifiers, ahead of other Group C contestants: China, Thailand and Singapore.
After that, The Reds’ journey to the tournament continued to be fairly plain-sailing, going unbeaten in third round qualifying with 11 wins and five draws.
They finished six points ahead of second-placed Jordan in the third round AFC Group B Qualifiers. Managing to score forty goals in qualifying, only Japan managed more (51). They also conceded just eight goals too.
Despite this strong return, two draws with Palestine were heavily criticised by many outsiders.
Head Coach – Hong Myung-bo
A player considered by many to be one of the greatest Asian defenders ever, Hong Myung-bo has now been manager of South Korea since July 2024.
FOTO: Photo by Han Myung-Gu/ Getty Images
This is his second stint in charge of his nation though, he originally managed them for a year from June 2013 to July 2014, leading them during the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
After that role, Myung-bo joined Chinese Super League side HZ Greentown in December 2015. However at the end of the 2016/17 season, the side were relegated and he decided to leave.
In December 2020, he became manager of K League 1 club Ulsan Hyundai – he led them to two consecutive title wins in 2022 and 2023.
His side tended to opt for a back four throughout the qualifiers, but has since reverted to a back three as the tournament nears. He has named six players who can play as centre halves in the squad, suggesting he may continue with three defenders.
Player to watch – Son Heung-min
Despite him getting on a bit, Son Heung-min is still widely considered the nation’s star player.
A Premier League Golden Boot winner and Europa League winner with Tottenham Hotspur – Son has consistently produced for South Korea and is their joint-top scorer in World Cup history.
However, he is yet to score in Major League Soccer this season, a disappointing return compared to his 12 goals last campaign.
Only Qatar’s Almoez Ali (12) scored more goals in AFC World Cup qualifying than Son (10).
In South Korea’s first warm-up game on 31st May, he found the net twice in a five-nil thrashing of Trinidad and Tobago.
This universally loved figure can make an impact this summer, but he will certainly need help.
The Group
The Taegeuk Warriors have been placed into Group A alongside Mexico, Czech Republic and South Africa.
On the face of it, Mexico will be widely considered favourites to win the group, with the added bonus of being one of the host nations of this year’s tournament.
Being one of these nations meant they didn’t have to go through a long qualifying campaign, however this may mean they haven’t built up rhythm, something the Koreans could potentially capitalise on.
They do have quality throughout the pitch though. Up top they’re boosted by two lethal forwards in AC Milan’s Santiago Gimenez and Fulham’s Raul Jimenez. In midfield, they are anchored by West Ham United’s Edson Alvarez and Cruz Azul’s Erik Lira and at the back they are bolstered by Genoa’s Johan Valquez and Lokomotiv Moscow’s Cesar Montes.
As for Czech Republic, this is their first World Cup in 20 years. They finished second in their group during qualifying, relying on penalty wins against the Republic of Ireland and Denmark to take them to the finals. They’ve battled hard to get here but will certainly be tipped as underdogs by many.
South Africa are another nation that will have been written off by many as they return to the World Cup finals for the first time since 2010. They impressed during qualifying but suffered a frustrating loss in the round of 16 at the African Cup of Nations at the start of the year, to Cameroon.
Expectations
On paper, South Korea do have plenty of quality – Los Angeles FC attacker Son Heung-min, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in and Bayern Munich centre-back Kim Min-jae are all solid players and provide a decent spine to build off.
However, Son has failed to hit the ground running this season, after an impressive first year in American soccer. Kang-in has had a quiet season in France this campaign with 39 appearances and just eight goal contributions. As for Min-Jae, he has impressed for Bayern, but has very much been third choice centre-back for them, behind Jonathan Tah and Dayot Upamecano. Despite this, he still made 37 appearances for them this season with 23 starts for the German giants.
Jens Castrop of Borussia Monchengladbach is likely to be the starting left back. He is the first foreign-born player of dual heritage to represent South Korea at a World Cup. The defender swapped his allegiance from Germany to the Asian nation in August 2025.
They also have a host of English Football League players in their squad too. Paik Seung-ho (Birmingham City), Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), Um Ji-sung (Swansea City) and Hwang Hee Chan (Wolves)
Overall, they can hope to at least progress from the group stages as they certainly do have quality, but it may be a tough ask for them to go deep in the competition.