[Official] "World Cup Debut" Kim Hyeon-jun's Final 21-Man Squad Confirmed... "Sole 2010 Birth Year" Im Ji-seong Selected, First Match Against Uganda on the 19th

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The South Korean Under-17 (U-17) football national team, led by Coach Kim Hyeon-jun, will challenge for a spot on the World Cup main stage.

On the 2nd, the Korea Football Association announced, "We have finalized the final list of 21 players for the men's U-17 football national team that will participate in the 2026 International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) U-17 World Cup to be held in Qatar starting on the 19th."

The final squad for the U-17 national team led by Coach Kim Hyeon-jun includes three goalkeepers, seven defenders, nine midfielders, and two forwards.

Most of the players who participated in the UEFA Friendship Cup held in Switzerland last September were included. Among them, Kim Gun-ho (Incheon U18) and Ahn Sun-hyun (Pohang U18) received another call-up to the national team after the fifth gathering in August.

By affiliation, 19 players are from youth teams under professional clubs, and two are from academy teams. As academy team members, Lee Seung-hwa (Boin High School) and Baek Geon (Sinpyeong High School) were selected.

By birth year, 20 players were born in 2009, making up the majority. Midfielder Im Ji-seong (Jeonbuk Hyundai U18) is the only player born in 2010 on the final list.

South Korea secured a World Cup main stage berth by advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-17 Asian Cup held in Saudi Arabia last May. After passing the group stage, South Korea faced Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals but lost on penalties, failing to advance to the semifinals.

The national team will conduct its final domestic training at Cheonan Korea Football Park in Chungnam Province from November 2 to 7. Subsequently, they will depart for Doha, Qatar, the site of the decisive battles, on the 11th and undergo local adaptation training while preparing for the World Cup main stage.

Meanwhile, the FIFA U-17 World Cup will be held annually in Qatar from 2025 to 2029. This year's tournament will take place from November 19 to December 13.

A total of 48 countries will participate, divided into 12 groups of four teams each for the group stage. The top two teams from each group and the eight best-performing third-place teams will advance to the Round of 32 tournament.

South Korea, placed in Group B, will play its first group stage match against Uganda at 10:30 p.m. on November 19 (KST). It will then face New Caledonia on the 22nd and Ecuador on the 25th in succession, aiming to advance to the Round of 32.

▶ 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup Final Squad (21 players)

- GK (3 players)

Jang Jun-young (Pohang Steelers U18), Lee Seung-hwa (Seoul Boin High School), Kim Gun-ho (Incheon United U18)

- DF (7 players)

Kang Mu-seong (Ulsan HD U18), Choi Geon-min (Jeonbuk Hyundai U18), Choi Min-jun, Sung Min-su (both Pohang Steelers U18), Tae Do-yoon (Ulsan HD U18), Kim Jung-hyun (Suwon Samsung U18), Choi Jae-hyuk (Gangwon FC U18)

- MF (9 players)

Jung Ha-won (FC Seoul U18), Han Seung-min, Im Ji-seong (both Jeonbuk Hyundai U18), Park Kyung-hoon, Lee In-woo (both Suwon Samsung U18), Park Ju-ho (Busan Ipark U18), Ahn Sun-hyun (Pohang Steelers U18), Kim Ji-ho (Daejeon Hana Citizen U18), Baek Geon (Chungnam Sinpyeong High School)

- FW (2 players)

Kim Ji-woo (Busan Ipark U18), Nam Yi-an (Ulsan HD U18)

▶ 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup Group Stage (Group B) Schedule

Match 1: South Korea vs. Uganda (November 19, 10:30 p.m.)

Match 2: South Korea vs. New Caledonia (November 22, 11:30 p.m.)

Match 3: Ecuador vs. South Korea (November 25, 9:30 p.m.)

- All match times are based on Korean Standard Time. The venue is the Aspire Zone Complex stadium in Doha, Qatar.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original