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Korean World Cup squad to be announced May 16

Published: 30 Apr. 2026, 13:12

Members of the Korean starting lineup for a friendly against Austria pose for a photo before the kickoff at Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna on March 31. [YONHAP]

Korea will announce its FIFA World Cup squad in Seoul on May 16.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) said Thursday that manager Hong Myung-bo will do the honors at 4 p.m. on May 16 at KT Gwanghwamun West Building in central Seoul.

The announcement will be streamed live on the media wall outside the building, and a K-pop performance will celebrate the occasion after Hong's press conference.

The KFA said it will schedule other offline events involving football fans to mark the occasion.

Korea will play in Group A against Mexico, one of the three co-hosts, the Czech Republic and South Africa. Hong's team will depart for Salt Lake City on May 18 to set up a pre-tournament training camp, in a bid to acclimatize players early to compete in the high altitude.

Two of Korea's three matches in the group stage will be played in Guadalajara, Mexico, about 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) above sea level.

This will be Korea's 11th consecutive World Cup appearance. Their first match is June 11 against the Czech Republic, followed by Mexico on June 18 and South Africa on June 24.

The tournament has expanded from 32 nations to 48 nations this time, with the United States and Canada also hosting matches. The top two teams from each of the 12 groups will earn automatic berths in the knockout stage, to be joined by the eight best third-place teams.

Yonhap