Son Heung-min (Tottenham) was eventually dropped due to injury.
“Son Heung-min, who injured his hamstring, was ruled to need rest and was excluded from the October call-up to protect his players,” the Korea Football Association said on Wednesday. “We have appointed Hong Hyun-suk (Minutes) as the replacement for Son.”
The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will face Iraq at home on the 15th after playing the third away game of the “2026 FIFA North-China World Cup Asia Regional Qualifier” against Jordan on the 10th. Coach Hong announced the 26 A-match roster for October on the 30th.
The key was whether Son would be appointed or not. Son is also active as a captain under the coach Hong Myung-bo. Notably, he scored one goal and two assists in the second match against Oman, giving Hong his first win.
However, the injury was reported ahead of the October A match. Son started in the first match of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) against Karabakh on the 27th, but was replaced in the 26th minute of the second half due to pain in his hamstring.
Initially, it was said that it was not a major injury, but Son Heung-min was also excluded from the list in the sixth round of the “2024-25 English Premier League” against Manchester United on the 30th.
When including Son in the list, Hong said, “We had direct communication about our physical conditions. We are seeing improvement.” Hong said, “We have been through a lot of exhausting schedules between the national team and our teams, but we will not force them to participate.” 안전놀이터
At the same time, he stressed that he will come up with an alternative plan for Son. Hong said, “We are preparing a plan B. Hwang Hee-chan, Bae Jun-ho, and Lee Jae-sung can play. There are enough substitutes for that position. Another option is that when the player moves to Son Heung-min’s position, he can select another substitute,” and eventually hired Hong, who can play at the second line.
The A-match in October is a watershed moment in the final qualifying round. Jordan had a 2-2 draw with South Korea at the 2024 Qatar Asian Cup, before sweeping the match 2-0 in the semifinal. He is ranking first in the group with strong capabilities. As the team has to play an away match and immediately play against Iraq, which is tricky to do, Hong Myung-bo feels pressured even more.