Captain Jo Hyun-woo (34, Ulsan Hyundai) of Hong Myung-bo's team ignited his desire to win.
The South Korean men's national football team, led by Coach Hong Myung-bo, conducted a training session on the afternoon of 4th at Seongnam Sports Complex in preparation for the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup).
The tournament is now just around the corner. The national team will play their opening match against China at Yongin Mir Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 7th. They will then clash with Hong Kong on the 11th and Japan on the 15th. The final standings will be determined based on the results of the three matches.
This East Asian Cup also marks the first official schedule for Hong Myung-bo's team in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America, which is approaching next summer. Korea secured their spot in the World Cup finals for the 12th time overall and 11th consecutive time by finishing first in their group in the Asian qualifying round last month.
For domestic players, this is an opportunity to nurture their dreams of the World Cup. The East Asian Cup is not held during the FIFA-sanctioned international match periods, so European players cannot be called up, and players from the Middle East will not be joining either. For this reason, Coach Hong Myung-bo has assembled a final roster of 26 players with 23 K League players (22 from the first division, 1 from the second division) and 3 J League players from Japan. There are as many as 9 players making their debut in the national team.
Before the training on the 4th, Jo Hyun-woo met with reporters and said, "There are many players I saw for the first time yesterday, and many who have been called up for the first time. First of all, I want to say welcome and congratulations to everyone. I believe that since the atmosphere is very good, we will achieve good results. I believe that if the players play with confidence, we will have a good game. I kindly ask for a lot of interest and support."
Having experience as the best goalkeeper in the East Asian Cup, he noted, "I think this is a very important tournament. It is also a good opportunity for some players. We must win unconditionally. I have experienced the East Asian Cup twice, and it is a tough tournament. It will be important how confidently the players play and how quickly they adapt to the plans of the coach."
Jo Hyun-woo will wear the captain's armband in this tournament, replacing Son Heung-min. The vice captain is Park Jin-seob (Jeonbuk). Coach Hong Myung-bo decided to entrust the captaincy to Jo Hyun-woo after meeting with the players and coaching staff. With 42 international caps, he said, "As a veteran, I will lead the players responsibly and finish well with a good result."
Jo Hyun-woo recently represented Ulsan at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. He experienced the United States a year ahead of the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America. Although Ulsan lost all three group matches, Jo Hyun-woo's saves were noteworthy.
Having been to the United States, Jo Hyun-woo remarked, "The weather was much hotter than I expected. There were variables like lightning that delayed the match. It was my first experience and it was quite tough. I think it would be good for the national team players to consider such variables in preparation for next year’s World Cup. The grass was very nice, so I believe our players will definitely perform well."
He added, "It was much hotter than in Korea. It was harder since it was a daytime match. I believe we can perform better in night matches. If I were to play another daytime match in the U.S., I think I could do better since I have adapted a bit. Experiencing strong opponents has helped me grow. I believe we can produce a good performance."
The match was delayed by more than an hour due to lightning. Jo Hyun-woo said, "They told us to take shelter in the locker room just before the match. At first, they said to wait for 30 minutes, but I didn’t know how to prepare. Some players even felt a bit sleepy. But after waiting another 30 minutes, I think it would be good to stretch or cycle to relax. K League players compete in the World Cup during the season, but European players are already finished with their seasons. Injury prevention and body management are the most important. I hope everyone prepares well, focusing on the big stage of the World Cup."
Finally, Jo Hyun-woo talked about the gap he felt in the world. He said, "South American players definitely perform better. African players were also much faster than Korean players. I felt that we can't be complacent and that we need to work harder. I sensed the wall of the world," he said, adding, "However, I also felt that Korean players can compete on the world stage. If the goalkeeper makes many saves, I believe good results will follow. I will prepare well to ensure we can have a good match."
[Photo] Provided by the Korea Football Association.
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