When is the FIFA World Cup 2026 squad deadline?

FIFA requires all 48 nations to submit final 26-man squads by the official registration deadline ahead of the tournament, which kicks off on 11 June 2026.

Which group is South Korea in at World Cup 2026?

South Korea are in Group A at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

When does South Korea play their first World Cup 2026 match?

South Korea open their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign against Czechia on 12 Jun 2026.

South Korea flag — South Korea · Group A Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

South Korea · Group A · FIFA #25

South Korea World Cup 2026 squad: every player, position by position

South Korea carry a 26-man squad into World Cup 2026, drawn from Group A with their opening fixture against Czechia on 12 Jun 2026. Below: the full roster sorted by position, face wall, and squad breakdown.

Verified squad·ESPN, single source·as of 2026-06-15 04:10 UTC

Baseline facts

FIFA rank: No. 25
Group: Group A
Fixtures: 12 Jun 2026 v Czechia, 19 Jun 2026 v Mexico, 25 Jun 2026 v South Africa
Squad: Full squad list →

South Korea squad: face by face

Song Bum-Keun GK

Lee Han-Beom DEF

Lee Gi-Hyuk DEF

Kim Tae-Hyeon DEF

Lee Tae-Seok DEF

Cho Wi-Je DEF

Seol Young-Woo DEF

Paik Seung-Ho MID

Jens Castrop MID

Kim Jin-Gyu MID

Lee Dong-Gyeong MID

Son Heung-Min FWD

Cho Gue-Sung FWD

Eom Ji-Sung FWD

12 of 26 players carry a free-licensed photograph; the rest show a monogram until one is available. Photographs from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own free licence.

Squad profile

3 goalkeepers

8 defenders

9 midfielders

6 forwards

27.5avg age
22youngest (Bae Jun-Ho)
35oldest (Kim Seung-Gyu)

Position counts from the provisional ESPN roster. Ages at the data verification date.

Can South Korea qualify from Group A?

The top two teams in each group advance directly to the round of 32. The eight best third-placed finishers also go through, giving South Korea a meaningful safety net. Group A standings and South Korea's specific qualification scenarios are tracked live on the group page.

South Korea qualification scenarios in Group A →

Latest South Korea news

T2 Being the best in Asia is no longer enough for Japan seeking World Cup breakthrough | Jonathan Wilson 13 Jun

T2 South Korea fight back to beat Czech Republic 12 Jun

T2 South Korea get off to winning start after rallying from goal down to beat Czechia 12 Jun

Full squad list

South Korea provisional 26-man squad, teamsheet order (source: ESPN)
#	Player	Position	Age
1	Kim Seung-Gyu	Goalkeeper	35
12	Song Bum-Keun	Goalkeeper	28
21	Jo Hyeon-Woo	Goalkeeper	34
2	Lee Han-Beom	Defender	23
3	Lee Gi-Hyuk	Defender	25
4	Kim Min-Jae	Defender	29
5	Kim Tae-Hyeon	Defender	25
13	Lee Tae-Seok	Defender	23
14	Cho Wi-Je	Defender	24
15	Kim Moon-Hwan	Defender	30
22	Seol Young-Woo	Defender	27
6	Hwang In-Beom	Midfielder	29
8	Paik Seung-Ho	Midfielder	29
10	Lee Jae-Sung	Midfielder	33
16	Park Jin-Seop	Midfielder	30
17	Bae Jun-Ho	Midfielder	22
19	Lee Kang-In	Midfielder	25
23	Jens Castrop	Midfielder	22
24	Kim Jin-Gyu	Midfielder	29
26	Lee Dong-Gyeong	Midfielder	28
7	Son Heung-Min	Forward	33
9	Cho Gue-Sung	Forward	28
11	Hwang Hee-Chan	Forward	30
18	Oh Hyeon-Gyu	Forward	25
20	Yang Hyun-Jun	Forward	24
25	Eom Ji-Sung	Forward	24

Source: ESPN roster. Provisional until the FIFA registration deadline. Club affiliations are not in the verified roster feed; we do not list them here.

Group A fixtures

Opponent	Date	Match page
Czechia	12 Jun 2026	South Korea vs Czechia
Mexico	19 Jun 2026	South Korea vs Mexico
South Africa	25 Jun 2026	South Korea vs South Africa

FIFA World Ranking

South Korea are ranked 25 in the FIFA Men's World Ranking , the 23th highest-ranked of the 48 teams at the tournament. Ranking as of 1 April 2026, per FIFA via Wikipedia.