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Korea national team manager checks in on Europe-based players ahead of World Cup

Published: 04 Mar. 2026, 12:40 Updated: 04 Mar. 2026, 14:01

Korean national team players based in Britain pose for a photo with the coaching staff, including head coach Hong Myung-bo, fifth from left, during a visit to check on players, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association on March 3. [KOREA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION]

Hong Myung-bo, manager of the Korea national team, has begun the final stretch of preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by taking a closer look at the players who could shape his squad.

With just over 100 days until the tournament opens on June 11, Hong spent the past two weeks traveling across Europe, meeting players and watching matches as he evaluates form and fitness ahead of the summer tournament.

Hong traveled with national team coaches Kim Dong-jin and Kim Jin-gyu from mid-February through March 1, according to the Korea Football Association on Tuesday. The group moved across England, Germany and France, attending club matches and sitting down with players currently based in Europe.

The trip began in London. Hong watched English Championship matches involving Eom Ji-sung of Swansea City, Bae Jun-ho of Stoke City and Yang Min-hyeok of Coventry City.

He later met with those three players together with Paik Seung-ho of Birmingham City, Jeon Jin-woo of Oxford United and Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Shaquille O'Neal draws Korea during the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw at the Trump Kennedy Center in Washington on Dec. 5, 2025. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Hong then traveled to Düsseldorf in Germany. There he met Mainz midfielder Lee Jae-sung and Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Jens Castrop, who has mixed Korean heritage. Hong also attended a Bundesliga 2 match to watch Kwon Hyeok-kyu of Karlsruher SC.

Hong then crossed into the Netherlands to check on the condition of Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom before returning to Germany to meet Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae. The final stop came in Paris, where Hong met Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in before returning to Korea.

Some Europe-based players did not meet Hong in person during the trip. Cho Gue-sung and Lee Han-beom of Denmark’s FC Midtjylland, Lee Tae-seok of Austria Wien, Lee Hyun-ju of Portugal’s Arouca and Yang Hyun-jun of Celtic instead met with members of the national team’s Portuguese coaching staff, who attended their matches. Hong also kept in contact with the players directly to check on their condition.

Korea national team head coach Hong Myung-bo answers reporters’ questions at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 on Dec. 12, 2025, after attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw ceremony at the Trump Kennedy Center in Washington on Dec. 5. [NEWS1]

“Our national team will not be shaken by outside circumstances. We will focus on doing the best we can with what we have right now,” Hong said.

“This trip allowed us to check the condition of many key players and have a variety of conversations with them. With the opening match now about 100 days away, both the staff and the players will continue preparing for the tournament from their respective positions.”

Korea will begin its next stage of World Cup preparation later this month. The national team faces Ivory Coast in a friendly in London on March 28 before taking on Austria in Vienna on April 1.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PIH JU-YOUNG [[email protected]]