South Korea Coach Calls Up Bumper Squad For World Cup Qualifiers

South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo has called up 28 players for home World Cup q ualifiers against Oman and Jordan later this month when the Taeguk warriors will look to lock up a spot at an 11th straight edition of the global showpiece.

South Korea could potentially clinch one of the two automatic tickets to the 2026 finals from Group B with two qualifiers to spare if they can beat Oman in Goyang on March 20 and Jordan in Suwon five days later.

The ideal scenario is to quickly secure qualification for the World Cup through these two home matches and then play friendly matches against European powerhouses, Hong told a news conference on Monday.

Things wont always go the way we want them to, of course, but we will do our best to achieve that goal. Even if that doesnt work out, well make sure that the players feel comfortable and are not under too much pressure.

Regular captain Son Heung-min was named in the bumper squad along with fellow stalwarts Bayern Munich, centre half Kim Min-jae and Paris Saint-Germain winger Lee Kang-in.