Yang Min-hyuk (18, Gangwon FC), a “special high school student,” will try again to make his A national team debut.
The South Korean men’s national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will face Oman at 11 p.m. on the 10th (Korea Standard Time) at Sultan Qaboos Stadium in Muscat, Oman, in the second Group B match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup.
Oman’s away victory is a ‘must’ for Hong Myung-bo.
South Korea, ranked 23rd in the FIFA rankings, drew 0-0 in the first round of the third qualifying round against Palestine (ranked 96th) at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 5th.
Coach Hong Myung-bo, who announced his departure in July amid controversy, failed to secure victory over Palestine amid boos from the spectators, adding to the burden of winning the match against Oman (ranked 76th). Since taking office, he is aiming for his first win again.
Coach Hong Myung-bo hinted at a change in the starting lineup against Oman. “Players have been together for the past few years. I thought it would be more important for the players to be able to do things that they have been good at, rather than for me (against Palestine),” he said after the first training session there. “I think we need to make changes in the match against Oman.”
Attention is naturally focusing on whether Yang Min-hyuk, the “new face of high school students” who was excluded from the Palestinian match, will be given a chance to play this time.
For the first time in his career, Yang Min-hyuk, dubbed “hit product” in the K-League, was invited to join the A-team. He was 18 years and 132 days old when he became the youngest player to join the national team. He joined the A-team faster than Son Heung-min, who was selected for the first time in December 2010 at the age of 18 years and 152 days.
Yang Min-hyuk played in 29 K-League matches in 2024, scoring eight goals and five assists, leading Gangwon FC to a leading run before joining the national team. He also signed a contract with Tottenham of the English Premier League in July.
Yang Min-hyuk set various new records in 2024, including the youngest multi-goal in the K-League, the youngest double-digit attack point, the selection of the best 11 rounds of high school players, the first round MVP, and the first three consecutive K-League Young Player of the Month.
Yang Min-hyuk, who watched the Palestinian match from the stands, not on the bench, is drawing attention to whether he will play in the match against Oman, including the roster, as well as captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham), 메이저놀이터 Lee Kang-in (PSG), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), and Um Ji-sung (Swansea).
Yang, who is set to re-challenge for his debut in the Korean national team, is expected to be substituted in the second half rather than starting. When the national team was announced, coach Hong Myung-bo said, “Yang has shown good performance that deserves to be included in the national team.” This means that he knows what he is capable of.
If he makes his debut, Yang will become the fifth youngest Korean male soccer player to participate in an A-match, surpassing Son Heung-min (18 years and 175 days). If he scores further, he will also become the second youngest to score in an A-match, beating Son Heung-min (18 years and 194 days).