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Korea may want to go as far as they did the last time the World Cup was held in Asia, but they currently lack the firepower for a repeat.
Korea Republic are more than their No. 7, but that might still not be enough to make it out of the proverbial "group of death." They have overcome huge odds on Asian soil before, but the question of whether they can repeat the heroics of 2002 is one that they will need to answer on the pitch.
Korea’s road to Qatar
Korea had to go through two group stages of qualification just to reach the World Cup. First, they topped their AFC second round group with a maximum of 24 points from eight matches and scored 46 goals in the process, conceding only two.
This was enough to see them through to the third round of AFC qualifiers, which they found a bit more difficult. This time, they only managed to finish second in the group behind Saudi Arabia, but since the AFC allows the top two teams to qualify for the World Cup, this was enough for Korea to book a spot on the plane to Qatar.
Korea’s best performances at the World Cup
Korea’s best performance at the World Cup came the last time the tournament was hosted in Asia. Did I hear you say “good omen"? Well, maybe.
In 2002, when Korea themselves hosted the World Cup alongside Japan, the Taegeuk Warriors pulled off one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history by reaching the semi-finals.
On their way to the semi-finals, on the lucky end of a cacophony of refereeing errors, Korea beat or knocked out powerhouses like Portugal, Spain, and Italy before being stopped by Germany in the last four.
They had never made it out of the group stage at a World Cup before 2002, and they haven't fared much better in tournaments since then. However, now that the World Cup is returning to Asia, they might think they can pull off another surprise.
Korea’s final World Cup squad
Korea were made to sweat over the fitness of their captain and talisman, Son Heung-min, but he has been declared fit and was included in the final squad for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
He will be leading a group of mostly home-based players, as Korea have opted for a squad with more than half of the players plying their trade in the Korean K-League 1.
14 players in Korea’s squad play in Korea, while a total of 17 play in Asia, with one player each coming from a club in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Japan. They still have a strong European contingent, with names like Napoli's Kim Min-jae, Wolverhampton Wanderers' Hwang Hee-chan, and Freiburg's Jeong Woo-yeong standing out.
Korea's full World Cup squad
Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-gyu (Al Shabab), Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan Hyundai), Song Bum-keun (Jeonbuk Motors)
Defenders: Kim Min-jae (Napoli), Kim Jin-su (Jeonbuk Motors), Hong Chul (Daegu FC), Kim Moon-hwan (Jeonbuk Motors), Yoon Jong-gyu (FC Seoul), Kim Young-gwon (Ulsan Hyundai), Kim Tae-hwan (Ulsan Hyundai), Kwon Kyung-won (Gamba Osaka), Cho Yu-min (Daejon Citizen)
Midfielders: Jung Woo-young (Al Sadd), Na Sang-ho (FC Seoul), Paik Seung-ho (Jeonbuk Motors), Son Jun-ho (Shandong Taishan), Song Min-kyu (Jeonbuk Motors), Kwon Chang-hoon (Gimcheon Sangmu), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Hwang In-beom (Olympiacos), Jeong Woo-yeong (Freiburg), Lee Kang-in (Real Mallorca)
Forwards: Hwang Ui-jo (Olympiacos), Cho Gue-sung (Jeonbuk Motors), Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)
See the list of every country's World Cup squads here.
Korea key players at the World Cup
Son Heung-min
There was a reason Korea was so concerned about Son's injury; he is by far the best player the country has to offer, and his absence from the World Cup would have been a monumental loss for them.
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He is the country’s joint top scorer at World Cups and could hold the record alone with one more goal in Qatar. He will also move into the top 10 for all-time appearances for Korea with one more match with the national team.
While there’s a lot of personal ambition at stake for Son, his focus will surely be on the collective, and with the help of the 2021/22 Premier League Golden Boot winner, who knows how far Korea can go at the World Cup?
Kim Min-jae
For the second, I would have gone for Real Mallorca’s Lee Kang-in, who is a pocket rocket waiting to explode, but he never gets a proper chance to shine for the national team, so instead, I will go with Napoli centre-back Kim Min-jae.
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Kim has been a cornerstone in Serie A-leading Napoli's defence and has been a nightmare for opposition forwards in every game this season.
He is reliable, strong, and a danger at both ends of the field. He has won the third most aerial duels in Serie A and also played more passes into the final third than all but one of the league's defenders. There are few defenders who could hold their own that well both off and on the ball, and Kim is one of them.
Korea’s coach at the World Cup
Korea rarely appoint foreign managers, but in 2018, they made Paulo Bento the 80th manager in the national team’s history, and what a ride it has been. Korea have experienced highs and lows under Bento.
They were knocked out in the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup in his first tournament in charge, then won back-to-back editions of the East Asian Championships to make up for that disappointment. We don't know what version of his Korean team will show up at the World Cup, but from precedent, we can at least expect them to be exciting.
Korea World Cup group fixtures
Korea vs Uruguay 24th November 14:00 UTC +1 (Local Nigerian time)
Korea vs Ghana 28th November 14:00 UTC +1
Korea vs Portugal 2nd December 16:00 UTC +1
Korea’s chances and odds to win the World Cup
It is highly unlikely that Korea will win the World Cup, even if it is being hosted in Asia. As such, the bookmakers have them pegged at 250.00 odds to win the tournament, 80.00 odds to reach the final, and 35.00 odds to reach the semi-finals as they did in 2002.
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