KFA Closes Applications for Interim National Football Team Head Coach; Virtual Interviews Next Week

The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced today that it has closed application submissions for the interim head coach of the national football team and plans to form a candidate evaluation committee within this week.

The KFA closed application submissions for the interim head coach position at 5:00 p.m. yesterday.

The KFA plans to constitute the evaluation committee within this week by appointing some members of the National Team Strengthening Committee as well as external members.

Subsequently, it plans to review the appropriateness of the documents submitted by candidates and conduct online interviews within next week.

Following this, the priority negotiation ranking will be finalized based on the evaluation results of the committee, and negotiations will commence.

While numerous domestic and foreign managers applied for this open recruitment, the KFA did not disclose their identities.

Among foreign managers, former Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors manager Gus Poyet has previously expressed his intent to apply for the interim head coach position through an interview with domestic media.

The KFA explained, "We will not disclose detailed information regarding the application status, as it could affect the subsequent evaluation process and negotiations."

The national football team will play a total of six matches across two international match windows in September-October (4 matches) and November (2 matches).

Following the resignation of former head coach Hong Myung-bo, who took responsibility for the elimination from the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the Americas, the KFA decided to openly recruit an interim head coach and coaching staff as a package to lead the team through the November international window.

As the appointment procedure for the interim head coach is conducted through open recruitment in accordance with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee regulations on national team selection and operation, the conditions are strict.

Applicants must apply as a single team (unit), consisting of a head coach and a coaching staff ranging from a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 7 members.

For domestic manager applicants, both the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Pro Diploma or equivalent coaching license and a Level 2 Professional Sports Instructor license are required.

Foreign manager applicants are required to hold the highest-grade coaching license issued by a continental confederation affiliated with FIFA.

Domestic coach applicants must hold an AFC A-level coaching license along with a Level 2 Professional Sports Instructor license, while foreign coaches must possess qualifications suited to their respective fields along with at least 5 years of coaching experience.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.