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Uruguay and South Korea played to a goalless draw Thursday.
South Korea have now qualified for 10 successive World Cups — an even better record than the reigning champions France (seven).
But in that time, they have only progressed past the group stage twice.
The 2002 tournament, which South Korea co-hosted with Japan, remarkably saw them reach the semi-finals where they were defeated 1-0 by Germany. South Korea then reached the quarter-finals eight years later in South Africa, only to be knocked out after losing 2-1 to Uruguay.
They will have a chance for revenge against Uruguay later this month, with the two nations having been drawn together in Group H along with Portugal and Ghana.
South Korea qualified for Qatar, whose hosting of the tournament is controversial for the reasons outlined in this article, with relative ease. The Asian nation finished top of their second-round qualifying group and that meant they advanced to the third round in the AFC. They then finished second in their group behind Iran — a comfortable nine points ahead of a third-placed United Arab Emirates — which was enough to see them through to the finals.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min headlines South Korea’s squad. The captain with more than 100 caps has been included despite recently suffering a fractured eye socket — he has been training with a mask in the build-up to the tournament.
Napoli defender Kim Min-jae is a talented option at centre-back, meanwhile, and Mallorca’s Lee Kang-in is an eye-catching attacking midfielder.
GO DEEPER
South Korea team guide: Rock solid defence can show it’s not all about Son
South Korea’s 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)
- Thursday, November 24: Uruguay 0-0 South Korea
- Monday, November 28: South Korea vs Ghana
- Friday, December 2: South Korea vs Portugal
South Korea squad analysis
South Korea head to a 10th successive World Cup sweating on the fitness of their greatest-ever forward. Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur won the Premier League’s Golden Boot last season and scored twice in the 2018 World Cup, but faces a race to be fully fit following a facial injury picked up while playing for Spurs at Marseille in the Champions League earlier this month.
Paulo Bento’s team will need not just Son, but also his central defenders to be at their best if they are to escape a group featuring Uruguay and Portugal…
For a full analysis of their chances in Qatar, click here.
Meet The Athletic’s guest writers for the World Cup
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World Cup provisional squads explained
(Photo: JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)
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