(LEAD) Teen sensation Yang Min-hyeok named to S. Korea squad for World Cup qualifiers

Premier League-bound teen sensation Yang Min-hyeok was named to the South Korean men’s national team for upcoming World Cup qualifying matches on Monday.

Head coach Hong Myung-bo put Yang, the 18-year-old forward for Gangwon FC, on his 26-man squad for two World Cup qualifying matches scheduled for next month.

To kick off Group B action in the third round of the Asian qualifying campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, South Korea will host Palestine at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on Sept. 5. They will then play Oman at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat at 6 p.m. on Sept. 10 local time, or 11 p.m. the same night in South Korea.

Yang Min-hyeok of Gangwon FC (R) is in action against Gimcheon Sangmu FC during the clubs’ K League 1 match at Gimcheon Stadium in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, on Aug. 9, 2024, in this file photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Yang Min-hyeok of Gangwon FC (R) is in action against Gimcheon Sangmu FC during the clubs
‘ K League 1 match at Gimcheon Stadium in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, on Aug. 9, 2024, in this file photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Yang has emerged as the top young player in the K League 1 this year, leading all first-year players with eight goals and five assists and pushing Gangwon to first place in the 12-team league. In July, he signed for Tottenham Hotspur, becoming the youngest South Korean player to join a Premier League side. Yang will finish his South Korean season and then join Spurs in January next year.

At 18 years and 132 days old, Yang is the 13th-youngest player to be named to the men’s national team.

Yang was recently voted the K League 1’s Player of the Month for July. Hong said Yang might have slowed a bit in August, but it wasn’t enough to change his mind about the youngster.

“I think he has done enough this season to deserve a spot on the national team,” Hong said Monday at the press conference announcing the squad at t
he Korea Football Association House in Seoul. “His body of work for this season speaks for itself, and I think this was the right time to give him this opportunity. A lot of people have high expectations of him, and I hope he can do some good things for us here. And it’s up to him to keep earning these chances.”

Yang is one of four first-time selections, along with his Gangwon teammate Hwang Moon-gi, FC Midtjylland defender Lee Han-beom and Incheon United defender Choi Woo-jin.

Usual suspects include Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur, captain for both his Premier League club and the national team, and Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain, who has scored in each of the French club’s first two matches of the young season. Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae and Mainz 05 midfielder Lee Jae-sung were also called up.

Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the South Korean men’s national football team, speaks at a press conference at the Korea Football Association House in Seoul on Aug. 26, 2024, announcing his squad for th
e World Cup qualifying matches in September. (Yonhap)

Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the South Korean men’s national football team, speaks at a press conference at the Korea Football Association House in Seoul on Aug. 26, 2024, announcing his squad for the World Cup qualifying matches in September. (Yonhap)

By mixing youth with a veteran presence, Hong said he was trying to achieve a delicate balance.

“The biggest key to this team is to ensure some stability from previous iterations of the team while also bringing some changes,” Hong said. “I wanted to create an environment where young and inexperienced players can come into the national team setting at any moment and get into matches. To do that, they will have to train with the rest of the veterans and build relationships.”

Hwang Moon-gi of Gangwon FC is in action against Gimcheon Sangmu FC during the clubs’ K League 1 match at Gimcheon Stadium in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, on Aug. 9, 2024, in this file photo provided by the Korea Professional F
ootball League. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Hwang Moon-gi of Gangwon FC is in action against Gimcheon Sangmu FC during the clubs’ K League 1 match at Gimcheon Stadium in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, on Aug. 9, 2024, in this file photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Of the 26 players, 14 ply their trade overseas.

The Oman match will be Hong’s first match on his second tour of duty as the national team head coach.

There are three groups of six in the third round, and the top two nations from each group will qualify for the World Cup, while the teams ranked third and fourth will advance to the fourth round for another crack at the big tournament.

The 2026 World Cup will be the first expanded edition, with 48 countries set to compete, up from the previous 32. Hong predicted that while it will be slightly easier to qualify out of Asia than in the past, with more slots available, reaching the knockout phase at the tournament proper will prove more ch
allenging.

“We wanted to maintain stability but also keep an eye on the future of the national team,” Hong explained. “And this is how I am going to operate the national team moving forward.”

In addition to Palestine and Oman, South Korea will face Iraq, Jordan and Kuwait in Group B.

South Korea have played at every World Cup since 1986.

Source: Yonhap News Agency