Son Heung-min heads into the 2026 FIFA World Cup as South Korea’s main attacking force. He arrives with 141 international caps and a fourth World Cup on his record after joining LAFC in 2025.
South Korea named its squad with Hong Myung-bo placing Son at the center of a group built for a deep run. The team will ask him to carry the attack again, with Kim Min-jae and Lee Kang-in forming the other key pillars.
Son Heung-min’s Fourth World Cup
Son has already played at the 2014 World Cup, the 2018 World Cup and the 2022 World Cup. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be his fourth appearance, and his role is unchanged: he is still the player South Korea leans on most when chances need to be created and finished.
That profile did not come from one tournament. It comes from years of production at the top level, including a Golden Boot in the 2021–22 Premier League season and a long run of scoring and playmaking responsibility across his career.
South Korea’s Three Core Pieces
Kim Min-jae gives South Korea the defensive base. He has 75 international caps, joined Bayern Munich in 2023 after winning the Scudetto and the Serie A Best Defender award at Napoli, and remains the back line’s reference point.
Lee Kang-in gives the attack a second creative lane. He has 44 senior caps, joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2023, and was part of Ligue 1 and Champions League-winning squads there after winning the Golden Ball at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Those three shape the squad’s ceiling. Son supplies the finishing, Kim stabilizes the back end and Lee adds another creator, but the balance only holds if the front line keeps producing against Group A opponents Mexico, South Africa and the Czech Republic.
Mexico Group Stage Load
South Korea’s three Group A matches will all be played in Mexico, giving the team a full away-style group stage in one country. That setup puts more weight on travel rhythm, recovery and how quickly Son settles into the demands of his 2025 move to LAFC in Major League Soccer.
For South Korea, the path is simple and demanding at the same time. Son is still the central offensive figure, but the team’s deep-run ambitions depend on whether he, Kim and Lee can keep their levels through three matches in Mexico and into the rest of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
