Oh Hyeon-gyu and Hwang Hee-chan to Start Against South Africa; Son Heung-min on the Bench

Oh Hyeon-gyu (Beşiktaş) will lead the attack for the South Korean national football team in their final group stage match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while "Captain" Son Heung-min (LAFC) will start on the bench.

The national team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, named Oh Hyeon-gyu as the starting striker for the final Group A match against South Africa, which kicks off at 10:00 a.m. today (KST) at Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe, Mexico.

This marks the first time Oh Hyeon-gyu has started in a World Cup match.

Oh previously scored in the team's opening match of the tournament against the Czech Republic, which South Korea won 2-1.

On the other hand, this is the first time Son Heung-min has been named to the substitutes' bench since he began competing in the World Cup at the 2014 Brazil tournament.

Oh is expected to lead the attack alongside Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) on the flanks.

In midfield, Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) and Paik Seung-ho (Birmingham City) will work in tandem.

Lee Ki-hyuk (Gangwon), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and Lee Han-beom (Midtjylland) form the three-back defensive line, while Seol Young-woo (Red Star Belgrade) and Lee Tae-seok (FC Seoul) will serve as the left and right wing-backs.

Kim Seung-gyu (Tokyo) will once again guard the goal.

Compared to the second match against Mexico, the lineup sees three changes: Son Heung-min, Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), and wing-back Kim Moon-hwan (Daejeon) have been replaced by Oh Hyeon-gyu, Hwang Hee-chan, and Lee Tae-seok.

With Son Heung-min starting on the bench, Kim Min-jae will wear the captain's armband.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.