Son Heung-min started official training on the 20th. / News
Son Heung-min (Tottenham) will be in the lead against Thailand. Joo Min-gyu (Ulsan), a ‘latecomer to the national team’, made his international debut for 33 years and 343 days, the oldest player ever. Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) starts the game on the bench.
Interim national team coach Hwang Seon-hong announced the starting lineup for the second leg of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup qualifying round against Thailand at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 21st.
Joo Min-gyu stepped up as the lone striker, while Son Heung-min, Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart), and Lee Jae-seong (Mainz) were placed in the second line of attack. Hwang In-beom (Zvezda) and Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City) defend the midfield. The defense, from left, is Kim Jin-su (Jeonbuk), Kim Young-kwon (Ulsan), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and Seol Young-woo (Ulsan). Jo Hyun-woo (Ulsan) wore goalkeeper gloves.
Thailand, who will play today, are ranked 101st in the FIFA rankings, well below Korea (22nd). Although their objective power is lower than that of Korea, last year, after Japanese coach Masatada Ishii took over, they advanced to the round of 16 of the Qatar Asian Cup and rose 12 places in the FIFA rankings.
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