South Korea national football team Players, Coach, FIFA Rankings, Nickname, History
In this article, you will get to know about South Korea national football team Players, Coach, FIFA Rankings, Nickname, and History. The South Korean national football team (Korean: 축구 축구 국가 대표팀; recognized by the FIFA as the Republic of Korea) represents South Korea in men’s international football and is managed by the Korea Football Association. South Korea has emerged as a major football power in Asia since the 1980s and is historically the most successful football team in Asia, having participated in nine consecutive FIFA World Cup tournaments overall. Ten is the largest amount for any Asian country.
Despite initially going through five World Cup tournaments without winning a match, South Korea became the only Asian team to reach the semi-finals when it co-hosted the 2002 tournament with Japan. South Korea also won two AFC Asian Cup titles and was runner-up four times. In addition, the team won three gold and three silver medals at the Senior Asian Games. The team is usually nicknamed “Red” by both the fans and the media because of the color of their basic uniforms. The national team’s support group is officially known as the Red Devils.
Team Profile summary
| Association | Korea Football Association (KFA) |
| Nickname(s) | Taegeuk Warriors, The Reds, Red Devils (붉은 악마) |
| Confederation | AFC – EAFF |
| FIFA code | KOR |
| FIFA rank | 24 (29 November 2023) |
| Most Caps | Cha Bum-kun & Hong Myung-Bo (136) |
| Top Scorer | Cha Bum-kun (58) |
| Home stadium | Seoul World Cup Stadium |
| Head coach | Paulo Bento |
South Korea national football team History
The introduction of football in Korea dates back to 1882 when British sailors on HMS Flying Fish played a game on their ship at the port of Incheon. The country became a Japanese colony in 1905.
The entire Jozone Football Tournament in 1921 and the Jozone Football Tournament Association in 1928 can be considered two important things that laid the foundation of football in Korea. The Korean team competed in many competitions with the Japanese team around 1926. Join Football Club became the de facto national team of the Koreans. He also won the 1935 Emperor’s Cup. He also played for the Korean Japanese national team. The most notable is Kim Young-suk, who played for Japan during the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Shortly after the formation of the state of South Korea in the late 1940s, the Korea Football Association was founded in 1948 and joined FIFA. That same year, the South Korean national team made its international debut at the 1948 Summer Olympics and its first match against Mexico.
South Korea’s national football team participates in the first World Cup
The South Korean national team first appeared in the qualifying round of the 1954 FIFA World Cup. She defeated Japan to reach the 1954 FIFA World Cup.
The South Korean national team is the first fully independent Asian nation and the only other Asian team to participate in the World Cup after Indonesia.
South Korea national football team Home Stadium
The South Korean national team played its first home match on April 21, 1956, at Dong Daemon Stadium. The match was the 1956 AFC Asian Cup qualifier against the Philippines. He currently plays his home games in various stadiums, which are also used by K-League clubs.
South Korea national football team Kit
Red is the traditional color of the South Korean national team jersey, nicknamed the “Reds” for the same reason, while fans are called the “Red Devils”. The round shirt is different between white and blue. In 1994, the home jersey changed from red to white, but in October 1995, red returned as the home color, paired with black shorts.
South Korea used the South Korean flag as a symbol of its jersey until 2001 when its tiger crust appeared. On February 5, 2020, KFA announced a new, simpler logo. Despite being enclosed in a rectangular frame, the mark retains the lion, albeit with a more minimalist design. South Korea’s traditional colors red, blue and white have been retained in the new logo.
Read Also: South Korea Kit World Cup 2022, Home and Away by Nike
Who are South Korea National Football team players?
The following players were called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Iran and the United Arab Emirates on 24 and 29 March 2022, respectively. Caps and goals updated as of 29 March 2022, after the match against the United Arab Emirates.
| No | Position | Player Name | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Kim Seung-gyu | 30-09-1990 (31) | 61 | 0 | Kashiwa Reysol |
| 12 | GK | Kim Dong-jun | 19-12-1994 (27) | 0 | 0 | Jeju United |
| 21 | GK | Jo Hyeon-woo | 25-09-1991 (30) | 20 | 0 | Ulsan Hyundai |
| GK | Song Bum-keun | 15-10-1997 (24) | 0 | 0 | Jeonbuk Hyundai | |
| 2 | DF | Yoon Jong-gyu | 20-03-1998 (24) | 1 | 0 | FC Seoul |
| 3 | DF | Kim Jin-su | 13-06-1992 (29) | 55 | 2 | Jeonbuk Hyundai |
| 4 | DF | Kim Min-jae | 15-11-1996 (25) | 42 | 3 | Fenerbahçe |
| 15 | DF | Park Ji-soo | 13-06-1994 (27) | 11 | 0 | Gimcheon Sangmu |
| 18 | DF | Lee Jae-ik | 21-05-1999 (22) | 0 | 0 | Seoul E-Land FC |
| 19 | DF | Kim Young-gwon | 27-02-1990 (32) | 91 | 5 | Ulsan Hyundai |
| 20 | DF | Kwon Kyung-won | 31-01-1992 (30) | 20 | 2 | Gamba Osaka |
| 23 | DF | Kim Tae-hwan | 24-07-1989 (32) | 17 | 0 | Ulsan Hyundai |
| 5 | MF | Jung Woo-young | 14-12-1989 (32) | 61 | 3 | Al-Sadd |
| 7 | MF | Son Heung-min (captain) | 08-07-1992 (29) | 98 | 31 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 8 | MF | Nam Tae-hee | 03-07-1991 (30) | 54 | 7 | Al-Duhail |
| 9 | MF | Lee Dong-jun | 01-02-1997 (25) | 4 | 0 | Hertha BSC |
| 10 | MF | Lee Jae-sung | 10-08-1992 (29) | 63 | 9 | Mainz 05 |
| 11 | MF | Hwang Hee-chan | 26-01-1996 (26) | 45 | 7 | Wolverhampton |
| 22 | MF | Kwon Chang-hoon | 30-06-1994 (27) | 34 | 10 | Gimcheon Sangmu |
| MF | Song Min-kyu | 12-09-1999 (22) | 9 | 0 | Jeonbuk Hyundai | |
| MF | Ko Seung-beom | 24-04-1994 (27) | 1 | 0 | Gimcheon Sangmu | |
| 16 | FW | Hwang Ui-jo | 28-08-1992 (29) | 44 | 14 | Bordeaux |
| 17 | FW | Cho Young-wook | 05-02-1999 (23) | 2 | 1 | FC Seoul |
Who are the South Korea national football team captain and coach?
Son Heung-min is the captain of the South Korean national football team and Paulo Bento is the coach of the South Korea national football team.
South Korea national football team captain
Son Heung-min is the captain of the South Korean national football team. Have a look at the profile summary of South Korea’s current captain.
Profile summary
- Name: Son Heung-min
- Date of birth/Age: Jul 8, 1992 (29)
- Place of birth:
Chuncheon, Gangwon - Citizenship: Korea, South
- Height: 1,84 m
- Position: Left Winger
- Current international: South Korea
- Caps/Goals: 98 / 30
South Korea national football team Coach
Paulo Bento is the coach of the South Korea national football team. Have a look at the profile summary of the team’s current coach.
Profile summary
- Name: Paulo Bento
- Date of birth/Age: Jun 20, 1969 (52)
- Place of birth: Lissabon
- Citizenship: Portugal
- Agent: Proeleven Gestão …
- Avg. the term as coach: 2.06 Years
- Preferred formation: 4-1-3-2
Rivalries of Team
The biggest rivalry between South Korea is Japan. This rivalry is regarded as an extension of the competitive rivalry between the two nations beyond football. South Korea has an edge in winning games while playing against Japan.
Other rivalries of South Korea include:
- Iran
- Australia
- China
- North Korea
The Supporters Team
As mentioned earlier, the supporters of the South Korean team are named Red Devils. This support group was founded back in 1995. For depicting passionate support, they are also known as the 12th man.
Their most famous slogan is Dae~han Minguk, which means Republic of Korea or mighty Korea. This slogan follows five traditional claps.
South Korea’s national football team trophies
- FIFA World Cup
Fourth place: 2002
- Afro-Asian Cup of Nations
Champions: 1987
- AFC Asian Cup
Champions: 1956, 1960
Runners-up: 1972, 1980, 1988, 2015
Third place: 1964, 2000, 2007, 2011
- Asian Games
Gold medalists: 1970, 1978, 1986
Silver medalists: 1954, 1958, 1962
Bronze medalists: 1990
Fourth place: 1994
- CONCACAF Gold Cup
Fourth place: 2002
- EAFF Championship
Champions: 2003, 2008, 2015, 2017, 2019
Runners-up: 2010
Third place: 2013
Fourth place: 2005
- Minor competitions
- Korea Cup: 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1991, 1997
- Pestabola Merdeka: 1960, 1965, 1967, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1978
- King’s Cup: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1998
- Jakarta Anniversary Tournament: 1981
- Dynasty Cup: 1990
- LG Cup: 2000, 2001, 2006
- Awards
- FIFA World Cup Most Entertaining Team: 2002
- AFC National Team of the Year: 2002, 2009
- EAFF Championship
- Fair Play Award: 2008
- AFC Asian Cup Fair Play Award: 2011
Source: FootballArroyo.co.uk
