'Hong Myung-bo's team' saw the highest number of appearances lead to 11 consecutive World Cup qualification in the midfield, managed by Hwang In-bum (Feyenoord). Hwang In-bum played the most minutes in total, with 1,397 minutes across the second and third qualifiers, guiding the men's national team to the World Cup. Hwang In-bum participated in 15 out of a total of 16 matches in the second and third qualifiers, excluding the third World Cup match (final qualifying round) against Oman due to injury, thus becoming a key figure in the World Cup qualification.
The top scorer was Son Heung-min (Tottenham). The 'captain' Son Heung-min netted 7 goals in the second qualifiers and 3 goals in the third qualifiers, totaling 10 goals. Notably, Son Heung-min secured his 51st international goal with his 10th goal (in a match against Palestine in November 2024), surpassing Hwang Sun-hong (current Daejeon Hana Citizen manager) to claim solo second place in the men's A-match all-time scoring list.
Head coach Hong Myung-bo's national football team celebrated a 4-0 victory against Kuwait in the 10th match of the Asian third qualifying round Group B for the 2026 FIFA World Cup held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 10th, finishing first in the group with 6 wins and 4 draws (22 points), completing the qualifying schedule.
For Korea to achieve the remarkable feat of qualifying for the World Cup for the 11th consecutive time (1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026), a total of 63 players were called up for the second and third qualifiers to lend their strength.
Among them, the player with the most minutes was Hwang In-bum, who played 542 minutes in the second qualifiers and 855 minutes in the third qualifiers. The next players with the most minutes were Jo Hyun-woo (1,297 minutes), Lee Kang-in (1,235 minutes), Lee Jae-sung (1,185 minutes), Son Heung-min (1,165 minutes), and Seol Young-woo (1,138 minutes).
In terms of the third qualifiers alone, the minutes recorded were as follows: Jo Hyun-woo (905 minutes), Seol Young-woo (902 minutes), Hwang In-bum (855 minutes), Lee Kang-in (797 minutes), Lee Jae-sung (784 minutes), Park Yong-woo (724 minutes), and Jo Yu-min (695 minutes). Son Heung-min, due to injury, missed 3 matches, including the two matches in October 2024 and the recent match against Iraq, playing a total of 585 minutes.
In addition to the previously mentioned Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in and Lee Jae-sung contributed goals in the final match against Kuwait, totaling 5 goals to share the second spot, while Oh Hyun-kyu and Oh Se-hoon each scored 4 goals across the second and third qualifiers. Following them were Bae Jun-ho, Oh Se-hoon, and Joo Min-kyu, who each netted 2 goals.
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