South Korea stormed through qualification to reach this winter’s World Cup.
They joined Iran in easily progressing through their AFC qualifying group, and can now look forward to participating in football’s biggest tournament in Qatar.
The Taegeuk Warriors are one of Asia’s strongest teams, but disappointed in their last major championship.
They were knocked out by World Cup hosts Qatar in the 2019 Asian Cup, and will be wanting to perform better on their return to Doha.
No Asian team has qualified for more World Cups than South Korea.
And Paulo Bento’s team will be competing at their 11th FIFA World Cup when they travel to Qatar in November.
South Korea’s FIFA World Cup history
South Korea qualified for their first World Cup in 1954, after defeating Japan in a play-off.
However, they might have wished they didn’t, after losing 9-0 and 7-0 and being eliminated as the worst team at the tournament.
South Korea then went 32 years without reaching the World Cup finals.
They finally reached their second tournament in 1986, and haven’t looked back since, qualifying for every edition of the World Cup since.
South Korea progressed out the group stages for the first time in 2002, when they co-hosted the competition with Japan.
They made it all the way to semi-finals, famously knocking out Italy with a golden goal, before beating Spain on penalties.
The only other time they’ve made it out of the group was in 2010, but they did produce the ‘Miracle of Kazan’ four years ago.
They knocked out reigning champions Germany with two injury time goals, and will be looking to produce more dramatic moments this winter at their 11th World Cup.
Who to look out for in South Korea’s squad
There’s going to be one standout name in South Korea’s squad in Qatar: Son Heung-min.
The Tottenham forward is South Korea’s only genuinely world-class player, and a huge amount of pressure will be on his shoulders.
Wolves will be hoping Hwang Hee-chan can find some form in Doha and bring it back to Molineux.
Defender Kim Min-jae is a player to look out for after his summer move to Napoli from Fenerbahce.
Nottingham Forest fans might also get their first glimpse of new striker Hwang Ui-jo, after he joined Olympiacos on loan this summer.
Korea’s squad is likely to contain plenty of players still playing in the K-League, who might be hoping to attract European interest.
How far can South Korea go?
Paulo Bento’s side find themselves in a strong group in Qatar.
Portugal will be favourites on paper, but Uruguay and Ghana will certainly fancy their chances.
South Korea will have to start faster than they did four years, when they were already eliminated before their final group game.
It would be a big achievement to reach the knockout stages for the fourth time in their history.
So much relies on the form of Son Heung-min, who at 30, might consider this his best chance to perform at the World Cup.
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