Hong Myung-bo names four new faces for the national team

Korea’s national soccer team head coach, Hong Myung-bo, has named a 26-man squad for the two September A matches in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup. Four players are making their first appearance in the A squad. The squad also includes seven players under the age of 24 who were born after 2000.

On Monday, Hong announced the list of 26 players at a press conference at the Korea Football Association House in Jongno District, Seoul. The list included European league players such as captain Son Heung-min (32), Kim Min-jae (28), Lee Kang-in (23), and Hwang Hee-chan (28). The quartet of Yang Min-hyeok, an 18-year-old forward, Lee Han-beom (22), Choi Woo-jin (20), and Hwang Moon-gi (28) were selected for the A team for the first time.

Hong, who returned to the national team's helm last month after a 10-year absence, said of his first squad selection since taking charge: “We focused on stability and a little bit of change,” he said. “We will continue to run the team with stable but future-oriented players.”


Hong-Gu Kang windup@donga.com