'Captain' Son Heung-min Starts Against Czech Republic; National Team Deploys Three-Back Formation

The Hong Myung-bo squad is set to take on the Czech Republic in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, led by the attacking trio of Son Heung-min (LAFC), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain).

The South Korean national football team, managed by Hong Myung-bo, will face the Czech Republic in their Group A opener at the Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, at 11:00 a.m. today (June 12).

The starting lineup for the Hong Myung-bo squad, released about an hour before kickoff, includes Son Heung-min, Lee Jae-sung, and Lee Kang-in.

Son, who is competing in his fourth World Cup, will record his fourth career goal in the tournament if he scores today.

Doing so would make him the all-time leading World Cup goalscorer for South Korea, surpassing Park Ji-sung and Ahn Jung-hwan.

Lee Jae-sung and Lee Kang-in are expected to support Son from the second line of attack, while Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) and Paik Seung-ho (Birmingham City) are set to anchor the midfield.

As expected, manager Hong is deploying the three-back defensive formation that the team has been refining since last year.

Lee Tae-seok (Wien) and Seol Young-woo (Zvezda) will take on the left and right wing-back roles, while the three-back defensive line will consist of Lee Ki-hyuk (Gangwon), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and Lee Han-beom (Midtjylland).

Kim Seung-gyu (Tokyo) will start in goal.

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