An analysis said the annual salary of Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the Korea men's national soccer team, is estimated at about 3.8 billion won. It ranks 16th among the 48 World Cup coaches, higher than the previously known figure of about 2 billion won.
According to the estimated salary rankings for coaches of the 48 teams at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup released on the 27th by SalaryLeaks, Hong's estimated annual salary is €2.16 million (about 3.8 billion won). SalaryLeaks is a global pay analysis firm.
Several teams led by coaches expected to earn less than Hong's estimated salary have already secured round of 32 berths on their own. They include Egypt (€155,000), Australia (€605,000), Côte d'Ivoire (€820,000), South Africa (€900,000), Switzerland (€1.6 million), and Belgium (€1.7 million).
In particular, Hong's estimated salary is more than double that of Japan coach Moriyasu Hajime (€821,000). Moriyasu ranks 29th in salary.
The highest-paid coach overall is Carlo Ancelotti, who leads Brazil. He is estimated to earn €9.5 million. By contrast, the lowest-paid coach is Dick Advocaat of Curaçao, estimated at €96,000. He also held the Korea job at the 2006 Germany World Cup.
Regarding these estimates, SalaryLeaks said it calculated them "based on disclosed contracts, materials from national football associations, and credible news reports available at the time of publication," adding that "incentives such as performance bonuses and qualification rewards were not included." It noted that additional income could rise depending on whether teams reach the World Cup finals.