"Four South Koreans, Most in Group A": Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, Lee Kang-in, and Hwang Hee-chan named to the consolidated Best 11... tied with 'host nation' Mexico

*This content was translated by AI.

Four key players from the South Korean national team were named to the consolidated Best 11 for Group A. This is the highest number of selections, tied with the 'host nation' Mexico. It signifies that South Korea's strength is highly regarded within Group A.

Football content media Score90 released the consolidated Best 11 for Group A of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America on the 8th (Korean time). Under the leadership of coach Hong Myung-bo, South Korea was drawn into Group A alongside Mexico, Czechia, and South Africa. Among them, 'captain' Son Heung-min (LAFC), who represents Korean football, along with Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), were included in the Best 11.

The formation was 4-3-3. Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan were deployed as wide attackers. Two of the three strikers were South Korean players. Lee Kang-in secured a spot as the right midfielder, while Kim Min-jae claimed one of the center-back positions. Key players from the South Korean national team were recognized across attack, midfield, and defense.

South Korea, along with Mexico, received high praise for fielding the most players. Both teams are considered strong contenders to advance from the group stage in Group A. Previously, the Czech media outlet Europort also stated, "Advancing from the group stage should be a given for South Korea," and added, "In the tournament, it depends on who the opponents are. If they draw a favorable bracket, reaching the Round of 32 may not be the end," highly evaluating South Korea's competitiveness.

Mexico, competing with home advantage, saw midfielder Alvaro Pidalgo Fernandez (Real Betis), Edson Alvarez (Fenerbahce), left-back Jesus Gallardo (Deportivo Toluca), and goalkeeper Raul Rangel (Guadalajara) named to the Best 11.

Three players from Czechia were included. Along with Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick in the German Bundesliga, center-back Ladislav Krejci (Wolverhampton) and right-back Vladimir Coufal (Hoffenheim) were selected for the Best 11.

Krejci is a player who has shared the same team with Hwang Hee-chan at Wolverhampton. He has been active as a first-team resource for his club, having appeared in 28 matches of the 2025-2026 English Premier League (EPL) season. In 27 international matches, he recorded five goals, demonstrating attacking prowess despite being a defender. Teammates Krejci and Hwang Hee-chan will face each other as opponents in this World Cup.

In contrast, South Africa failed to have a single player named to this Best 11. This amounts to being evaluated as the weakest team in Group A.

South Korea will face Czechia in the first group stage match of the North American World Cup on the 12th, followed by a match against Mexico in the second group stage match on the 19th. The final group stage match against South Africa will be held on the 25th.

Meanwhile, starting from this North American World Cup, the number of participating teams in the finals has increased from the existing 32 to 48. Accordingly, the group stage will be played with 12 groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the Round of 32.

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*This content was translated by AI.