Son back in the fold as national team set to line up against Kuwait

Korea face Kuwait in a 2026 World Cup qualifier on Thursday at Jaber al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait on the back of three straight wins in the third qualifying round under manager Hong Myung-bo.

The Korean national team trains at Abdullah Al Khalifa Stadium in Kuwait on Tuesday ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifier against Kuwait on Thursday. [YONHAP]

Korea face Kuwait in a 2026 World Cup qualifier on Thursday at Jaber al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait on the back of three straight wins in the third qualifying round under manager Hong Myung-bo.

Regular captain Son Heung-min is back in the squad after missing the October international break due to injury.

The Tottenham Hotspur winger has not scored a goal since playing against West Ham on Oct. 19, but joins the national team on the back of one assist he picked up against Aston Villa on Nov. 3.

Son Heung-min trains with the Korean national team at Abdullah Al Khalifa Stadium in Kuwait on Tuesday ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifier against Kuwait on Thursday. [YONHAP]

Son can play as a winger or No. 10 in Hong’s 4-2-3-1 formation, but the Korea manager was careful when mentioning how he plans to use Son in the upcoming qualifier, as Son only recently recovered from an injury.

“Son’s fitness is crucial for the national team,” Hong said Monday at Abdullah Al-Khalifa Stadium before training. “It is really important to see a fit Son. I will decide how long he will play after speaking with him. I do not plan to push him hard given his current fitness. I will devise a way to use him efficiently.”

The past two qualifiers in the last international break still ended successfully despite the absence of Son, with Korea beating Jordan 2-0 and Iraq 3-2 through a solid team effort.

Stoke City midfielder Bae Jun-ho, who is back in Hong’s squad for the November break, filled in Son’s role on the left flank by making agile movements that forced Iraq's defenders to take an aggressive approach.

Bae joins the squad after a solid run in the Championship where he has registered two assists in the past three fixtures.

“I played more than I had expected during the last break, and I was happy that I was able to deliver a good performance,” Bae said Tuesday. “This time, we have Heung-min. I want to help [Kim] Min-jae and other senior players as well.”

Korea's Bae Jun-ho, front, vies for the ball during the 2026 World Cup qualifer against Iraq at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi on Oct. 15. [NEWS1]

While Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Hwang Hee-chan is not on the roster this time, as he was injured at the time of the roster announcement, fellow national team regular picks based in Europe like Mainz midfielder Lee Jae-sung, Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in are in the squad.

The midfield trio all picked up goals in recent fixtures. Lee Jae-sung scored a goal in the match against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, Hwang also scored one against Almere City on Sunday and Lee Kang-in racked up a double and one assist against Angers on Saturday.

Over in the forward lineup, KRC Genk forward Oh Hyeon-gyu joins the squad again after his two goals during the October break. He most recently scored a goal in the Croky Cup match against SK Beveren on Oct. 30.

Machida Zelvia forward Oh Se-hun, who scored his first goal for the national team during the qualifier against Iraq, also joins the team after picking up a goal against FC Tokyo on Saturday.

Ulsan HD forward Joo Min-kyu, who was on the bench during the Iraq game, joins the team with the two goals he scored after the end of the October break.

Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae leads the back four again after his consistent performances with the Bundesliga giants this season.

Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae runs with the ball during the Champions Leaguer match against Benfica in Munich, Germany on Nov. 6. [AP/YONHAP]

He has been a core part of the Bayern defense that has only conceded seven goals in 10 league fixtures this season and has received high scores for his performances.

Red Star Belgrade fullback Seol Young-woo, who made sharp crosses during the October break, has also been in solid form, having picked up his first assist in the Champions League in the match against Barcelona on Nov. 6.

Over in goal, former No. 1 pick Kim Seung-gyu will miss the match due to another anterior cruciate ligament injury he sustained recently.

Ulsan goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo, who has played the past four qualifiers under Hong, is back on the roster.

Korea have faced Kuwait 24 times and recorded 12 wins, four draws and eight losses. Kuwait have yet to win a game in the third round of the qualifiers, where the country has recorded one loss and three draws to sit in fifth place on the six-team table in Group B as of Wednesday.

Korea are the current frontrunners in Group B with 10 points — three points clear of second-place Jordan. The Group B winner and runner-up directly qualify for the World Cup.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]