Korea's men's national soccer team on the 25th (Korea time) announced the starting lineup for the Group A finale of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America, a match against South Africa.

Oh Hyeon-gyu of the South Korea national football team celebrates after scoring a go-ahead goal during the Group A opener between South Korea and Czechia at Estadio Zapopan Guadalajara in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico, on June 11, 2026 (local time). /Courtesy of News1

Up front, Oh Hyeon-gyu (25, Beşiktaş JK), who scored the comeback goal against the Czech Republic, will lead the line. This is Oh's first World Cup start.

Son Heung-min (34, LA FC), who started as the lone striker against the Czech Republic and Mexico, will begin on the bench. This is the first time Son has been named among the substitutes since his World Cup debut in 2014.

On the wings, Hwang Hee-chan (30, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC) and Lee Kang-in (25, Paris Saint-Germain FC) are expected to start.

In midfield, as in the previous match, Hwang In-beom (30, Feyenoord Rotterdam) and Baek Seung-ho (29, Birmingham City FC) will start.

At wingback, Seol Young-woo (32, FK Crvena zvezda) and Lee Tae-seok (24, FK Austria Wien) were selected. In the earlier Mexico match, Kim Moon-hwan (31, Daejeon Hana Citizen) played as a wingback, but he was replaced by Lee Tae-seok.

In defense, Kim Min-jae (30, FC Bayern Munich) anchors the center, with Lee Ki-hyeok (26, Gangwon FC) and Lee Han-beom (24, FC Midtjylland) forming a back three.

In goal again is Kim Seung-gyu (36, FC Tokyo). With Son Heung-min starting on the bench, the captain's armband goes to Kim Min-jae.

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