There is a 'sole' foreign K-leaguer roaming the World Cup: FC Seoul center back Yazan Al-Arab, who will represent the Jordan national team.

*This content was translated by AI.

Among the 1,248 players named in the final squads for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, only eight are currently playing in the K League. This is a decrease of six from the 14th players who participated in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. However, not all eight K-leaguers competing in the North American World Cup are members of the South Korean national team. In Qatar, all 14 players were from the South Korean squad, but this time, there are also 'foreign K-leaguers.' One of them is Yazan Al-Arab (30), a key center back for both FC Seoul and the Jordan national team.

On the 3rd (Korean time), Yazan was the only K-leaguer in the full 48-team squad list for the World Cup finals released by FIFA who does not belong to the South Korean national team. Yazan will wear the number 5 jersey and represent Jordan at this North American World Cup. The Jordan national team is composed of players from a wide variety of leagues, including their domestic league, as well as leagues in Iraq, Morocco, Qatar, Malaysia, Egypt, France, Croatia, and Saudi Arabia. Aside from the K League, Yazan is the only player from the East Asian region.

In fact, Yazan's participation in the North American World Cup was a foregone conclusion. Having played for Jordan since 2017, he has become a key center back for the national team with 70 A-match appearances. Jordan secured a spot in the World Cup finals by finishing second in their group in the final (third) round of Asian qualifiers for the North American World Cup, just behind South Korea. Yazan played a crucial role as a defensive mainstay throughout the qualifiers, leading his team to the finals and naturally earning his place in the coveted final World Cup roster.

He has also been performing at the highest level in the K League. Immediately after joining Seoul in the summer of 2024, he secured a starting position. Last season, he appeared in 34 matches, recording one goal and one assist, and was named to the K League 1 Best 11. This season, he has appeared in 12 K League 1 matches (one goal, one assist), helping his team Seoul take the lead in the first half before heading to the World Cup stage.

It has been eight years and two World Cups since a foreign player in the K League competed on the World Cup stage, last seen in the 2018 Russia World Cup. At that time, Matthew Jurman, then playing for Suwon Samsung, represented the Australian national team. In the previous tournament, the 2014 Brazil World Cup, Alex Wilkinson, then playing for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, was the only foreign K League player to take the field, also representing the Australian national team. Coincidentally, Wilkinson, Matthew, and Yazan are all center backs. Jordan was placed in Group J alongside Argentina, Algeria, and Austria in this World Cup.

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*This content was translated by AI.