South Korea Finalizes 21-Player Squad for FIFA U-17 World Cup... Opening Match Against Uganda on 19th

The final 21 players representing the future of South Korean football have been confirmed for the 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) U-17 World Cup.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced the final 21-player roster for the men's U-17 national team on November 2, ahead of the tournament starting on November 19 in Qatar.

Led by Head Coach Kim Hyun-joon, the squad consists of 3 goalkeepers, 7 defenders, 9 midfielders, and 2 forwards.

Most of the players who participated in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Friendship Cup held in Switzerland last September made the roster, while Kim Geon-ho (Incheon United U-18) and Ahn Seon-hyun (Pohang Steelers U-18) received another call-up following their fifth training camp last August.

By club affiliation, players from professional club youth teams make up the majority with 19 players.

The remaining two players, Lee Seung-hwa (Boin High School) and Baek Geon (Shinpyeong High School), belong to school-affiliated teams.

By birth year, 20 players were born in 2009, with midfielder Lim Ji-sung (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors U-18) being the only player born in 2010.

The national team secured their ticket to the World Cup finals by reaching the quarterfinals at the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-17 Asian Cup held in Saudi Arabia last May.

However, they failed to advance to the semifinals after losing to Uzbekistan in a penalty shootout.

The national team will hold their final domestic training camp from November 2 to 7 at the Korea Football Park in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, before departing for the host city of Doha, Qatar, on November 11.

The FIFA U-17 World Cup, which is held annually in Qatar for five years starting from 2025, will take place this year from November 19 to December 13.

A total of 48 countries will participate, divided into 12 groups of four teams each for the group stage. The top two teams from each group (24 teams) and the eight best third-placed teams will advance to the Round of 32 knockout stage.

Placed in Group B, South Korea will play their first group stage match against Uganda on November 19, followed by matches against New Caledonia on November 22 and Ecuador on November 25.
(Photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.