Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham) has been named while Kim Min-jae (29, Bayern Munich) has been excluded.
The Korea Football Association will hold a press conference to announce the national football team roster at 11 a.m. on the 26th at the Korea Football Association Football Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
The national team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, will face Iraq in the 9th match of Group B in the 3rd round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup at the Basra International Stadium in Iraq on June 6. After the match against Iraq, they will face Kuwait in the 10th match at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 10th.
South Korea is leading Group B with 16 points (4 wins, 4 draws). A draw against Iraq will secure their 11th consecutive advancement to the World Cup finals. South Korea failed to qualify early for the finals after drawing three consecutive matches against Palestine (1-1), Oman (1-1), and Jordan (1-1). Notably, failing to win in the two home matches in March was significant.
Ahead of Coach Hong's press conference, a 26-man roster was revealed. The team selected two forwards to lead the front line: Oh Se-hoon (Hankuk), and they also selected 12 midfielders including Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Lee Kang-in (PSG), Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic), Jeon Jin-woo (Jeonbuk), Moon Seon-min (Seoul), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Kim Jin-kyu (Jeonbuk), Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), Won Du-jae (Korfacan Club), Park Jin-seob (Jeonbuk), and Park Yong-woo (Al Ain).
In defense, nine players were chosen: Cho Yu-min (Sharjah), Kwon Kyung-won (Korfacan Club), Lee Han-beom (Midtjylland), Kim Joo-sung (Seoul), Park Seung-wook (Gimcheon), Seol Young-woo (Red Star Belgrade), Lee Tae-seok (Pohang), Cho Hyun-taek (Gimcheon), and Choi Joon (Seoul), while three goalkeepers were selected: Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan), Kim Dong-hyun (Gimcheon), and Lee Chang-geun (Daejeon).
The key figures in both offense and defense, Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae, are predicted to be unlikely to participate in this selection due to injuries. Both players have been unable to fully complete the season due to their injuries.
However, Son Heung-min returned to the field after his injury and participated in three matches as a substitute and starter.
The situation for Kim Min-jae was different. He bore the responsibility of leading the defense alone amidst the Bayern Munich defense's collapse and ultimately fell due to an Achilles injury he suffered throughout the season. Bayern had already secured the league title with Kim Min-jae's dedication, and coach Vincent Kompany granted him a break after the title was secured.
Meanwhile, Lee Kang-in and Hwang Hee-chan, who had insufficient playing time, made the roster without any issues.
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