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Hong faces call-up conundrum as Taeguk Warriors lack clear first-choice striker

Published: 22 Apr. 2026, 16:52 Updated: 22 Apr. 2026, 18:34

Oh Hyeon-gyu, left, Cho Gue-sung, center, and Oh Se-hun, who are competing for the frontline striker spot in the national football team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup [JOONGANG ILBO, YONHAP]

With only 50 days left before the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off, national football team manager Hong Myung-bo faces a call-up conundrum up top, with no clear first choice ahead of the final squad announcement on May 16.

While the rest of the squad is more or less settled based on Hong's tactics and formation, varying between a back four and a three-across-the-back with wingbacks in defense, the gaffer may only bring one or two forwards to partner with captain Son Heung-in in attack, although the Korean talisman has at times been deployed as a nine instead of in his natural left wing position. In his last stint as manager, Hong took five forwards to Brazil.

The main contenders are Oh Hyeon-gyu of Turkish club Besiktas and Cho Gue-sung of Danish club FC Midtjylland, with Oh Se-hun of the Japanese club Shimizu S-Pulse rejoining the race on the back of a recent hot streak.

Korea's Son Heung-min dribbles the ball during a friendly against Paraguay at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Oct. 14. [YONHAP]

The Besiktas man appears to be the current leader.

As recently as 2024, early in Hong's tenure, Oh Hyeon-gyu was the third option up top, but he has since found a rich vein of form with the national team, sitting jointly with Son for most goals since Hong returned to the helm.

A move away from KRC Genk in Belgium in February for the Turkish club seems to have done him good, scoring goals in his first three matches in the Super Lig.

Oh Hyeon-gyu celebrates scoring a goal for Korea against Iraq in the AFC Asian Qualifiers at the Basra International Stadium in Basra, Iraq on June 5. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

He bagged a brace against Antalyaspor on April 11, taking his goal tally in Turkey to seven for the season and 17 overall.

Recent reports claiming that Manchester United is monitoring him have driven up his transfer value. If he is indeed Hong's first-choice striker, the World Cup could serve as a showcase for a move to a major European league.

Veteran Cho, meanwhile, brings experience and confidence from having played in the World Cup in Qatar four years ago.

Korea's Cho Gue-sung celebrates scoring during a 2022 Qatar World Cup match against Ghana at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar on Nov. 28, 2022. [NEWS1]

The player has appeared in 37 matches in Denmark’s top flight this season, scoring seven goals.

After being sidelined for more than a year after picking up a knee injury in 2024 that came with complications, Cho returned to the field in September of last year. Two months later, he also returned to the national team for friendlies against Bolivia and Ghana, wearing the national jersey again after one year and eight months.

Despite suffering a scoring drought for both club and country recently, Cho's role in the Taeguk Warriors' run to the round of 16 in Qatar four years ago gives him valuable experience as a veteran of the biggest sporting event in the world.

Oh Se-hun celebrates after scoring during the first half of the Group B fourth-round match between Korea and Iraq in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, on Oct. 15, 2024. [JOONGANG ILBO]

While Cho has struggled to find the net, Oh Se-hun has found a return to form.

Standing at 1.93 meters (6 feet, 4 inches), his physical style of play aligns closely with Hong's preferred tactics. This is why the Shimizu target man was once regarded as a top contender for starting striker early in Hong's tenure.

A lack of goals, however, forced him out of contention. With only two goals in nine national team appearances and a scoring drought at his then-club, Machida Zelvia, in Japan’s J1 League, Oh Se-hun was unable to maintain the position.

He has not received a call-up since an East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship match against Japan in July of last year.

As it seemed like his World Cup chances were slipping away, a decision to go out on loan to Shimizu proved to be a jump start, finding the net six times in 10 matches. He has even made J1 League history, scoring the fastest goal ever after beating the keeper against V-Varen Nagasaki in just seven seconds.

“As a striker, I will contribute to winning with relentless effort,” he said.

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]]