Son Heung-Min Off To 4th World Cup As S. Korean Squad Released

SEOUL, May 16 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- South Korea released their 26-man squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup on Saturday, with longtime captain Son Heung-min headed to his fourth and possibly final appearance at the sport's showpiece event, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Head coach Hong Myung-bo unveiled his team bound for the June 11-July 19 World Cup at a press conference in Seoul, carrying three forwards, 10 midfielders, 10 defenders and three goalkeepers.

South Korea will play in Group A against Czechia, South Africa and Mexico, one of three co-host countries alongside Canada and the United States.

Once Son, now of Los Angeles Football Club, takes the field next month, the 33-year-old will become only the fourth South Korean to appear in four World Cup tournaments, joining Hong, former forward Hwang Sun-hong and ex-goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae.

Other no-brainer choices include Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in and Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae, both of whom also played at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

Besiktas forward Oh Hyeon-gyu made his first World Cup squad. He was a reserve at the 2022 tournament as a potential replacement for Son, who had suffered a facial fracture just before the World Cup, wouldn't be able to play.

Son ended up playing all four matches wearing a mask then, and Oh was limited to training with the rest of the team without dressing once.

-- BERNAMA-YONHAP