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Looking to place a bet on the Korea Republic at the 2026 World Cup? You have come to the right place. This page provides a comprehensive wrap of all things Korea for the World Cup of Soccer: result history, statistical analysis, future matches and most importantly, the best odds and lines from a variety of top online sportsbooks. Review tournament performance, plan for upcoming fixtures and place your wager with confidence right here.
Korea Republic’s World Cup 2026 Standings
Korea Republic completes Group F, which also includes Germany, Mexico and Sweden. Below you will find their current tournament standings, updated after every matchday.
Korea Republic’s Odds To Win The World Cup
Korea could be dangerous to bet against at this year’s World Cup. While on paper they lack the firepower of their Group F opponents in key positions, they have a new coach and will be entering each of their group matches as underdogs. If they can jag a point in either of their first matches, they could find a way to progress, despite Sports Interaction pricing them at +215 to do so.
At +59900 to win the tournament, the Koreans don’t give us much hope, and we aren’t picking them to emerge from a strong Group F that contains Mexico, Sweden and the 2014 champions Germany. Our prediction is for Korea to finish bottom of their group, and given their opponents we don’t think they will pick up a single point in Russia.
It’s a harsh assessment but the reality is that Korea barely managed to qualify from a group containing Uzbekistan, Qatar and Syria and we can’t see them causing any upsets in Russia with a first-time coach on the scene. Still, you never know with the World Cup, which is why it’s the best tournament in the world. at +215 to reach the Round of 16 and +1200 to reach the quarter-finals, you could always take the plunge.
Korea Republic’s Squad & Key Players
All teams must declare a 30 man squad for the World Cup by the middle of May, while the final 23 man squads don’t have to be finalized until the first week of June, just days prior to the tournament start date. We will update you when the team sheets are announced, but first, let’s take a look at some of the most important players in the Korean team and who we think will play a big part in the competition.
Heung Min Son (Winger / Forward)
Son has come along in leaps and bounds since joining Tottenham and is known for his pace and excellent ball control. He has scored some truly stunning goals in the English Premier League over the last three seasons, already notching 25 from 83 appearances in a side where the goal charts have been dominated by Harry Kane. He is also the top Asian goalscorer in Premier League history.
Son has excelled for his country, already scoring twenty goals in his 61 national team appearances. He is just 25 years old and could well finish his career as one of the country’s top scorers.
Chang-Hoon Kwon (Midfielder)
Despite playing a more defensive role for the national team and only having made fourteen appearances in his young career, the Dijon midfielder has already scored three goals for his country, all of which came in the World Cup qualification matches. Kwon’s career took off at the Suwon Samsung Bluewings, and he built on the 2016 season that saw him named in the K League Best XI with a move to France. At just 23, big things are expected for the young midfielder.
The Coach (Tae Yong Shin)
After a long career in South Korea as a player, Shin started his coaching career in Australia as an Assistant, before returning home to Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma to manage the team he made 296 appearances for. In just his second season he led his team to AFC Champions League glory, becoming one of very few to win the competition as a player and as a coach.
As a player, Shin also made 23 appearances for the national team after also featuring for the U17, U20 and U23 teams. His first foray into international management began as he was named caretaker manager for South Korea in 2014 before he stepped into roles with the U20 and U23 squads. He took over the top role in June 2017, helping his country of origin to their ninth-straight World Cup despite two consecutive 0-0 draws.
Korea Republic’s World Cup 2026 Lineup
Korea’s latest international was played against Japan on December 16th, 2017, however for an idea into the possible starting XI in Russia we will look back at the final World Cup qualifier against Uzbekistan, played on September 5th.
Starting Lineup (3-2-2-3)
Seung Gyu Kim (Vissel Kobe) – Young Gwon Kim (Guangzhou Evergrande), Hyun Soo Jang (FC Tokyo), Minjae Kim (Jeonbuk Hyundai) – Chang-Hoon Kwon (Dijon), Woo Yung Jung (Vissel Kobe) – Min-Woo Kim (Sangju Sangmu), Yo Han Go (FC Seoul) – Heung Min Son (Tottenham Hotspur), Hee-Chan Hwang (Red Bull Salzburg), Keun Ho Lee (Gangwon FC).
Reserves: Kee Hee Kim, Joo Young Kim, Jin Hyeon Kim, Ki Hun Yeom, Ja Cheol Koo, Dong-Gook Lee, Bo Kyung Kim, Shin Wook Kim, Jin-Soo Kim, Kyung Won Kwon, Jae Sung Lee, Hyun Woo Cho.
Korea’s World Cup History
Korea Republic (formerly South Korea) has emerged as one of the better teams in Asian football, and in fact, is historically the most successful nation from the AFC. Qualification for the tournament in Russia means that they will make nine consecutive appearances at the World Cup when it kicks off in June, and their start in ten overall events is the most by an Asian country.
While their success at the FIFA World Cup has been limited, they managed to shock the world in 2002 by finishing in fourth place, another high for Asian countries. At the event they hosted alongside neighbours Japan, South Korea recorded their first-ever win at the World Cup when they beat Poland in the opening fixture and proceeded to beat the likes of Portugal, Italy and Spain on their way to the semi-finals. They fell just short of a historic appearance in the final when they lost to Germany in the penultimate match.
Korea was not successful when it made their first appearance at the World Cup. The second Asian team to ever start at the tournament (behind the Dutch East Indies) was sent packing following a disastrous campaign that featured a 9-0 loss against Hungary and a 7-0 loss against Turkey in 1954. What followed was a 32-year absence from the competition.
Park Chang-sun became the first Korean player to score a goal at the World Cup, however, it was a consolation goal in a 3-1 loss to Argentina at the 1986 tournament. The Koreans managed to score four times in the group stage, although it wasn’t enough to record a victory as they lost to Italy and drew with Bulgaria.
Their winless run continued throughout the 1990s; Korea failed to win a match in the 1990, 1994 and 1998 World Cups. Their best performance during that time was in the 1994 edition in the USA, where they picked up two draws, including one against Spain where they scored twice in the final five minutes to level the score. Ultimately, a 3-2 loss to Germany saw them eliminated from the group stage once more.
After their successful 2002 tournament, South Korea fell just short of a second consecutive Round of 16 appearances in 2006 after losing their final game to Switzerland. Coming from behind to defeat Togo in the first match and doing so again in the second to draw with France prevented the Koreans from advancing.
South Korea’s only other venture into the second round came in 2010 when they finished second behind Argentina in a group also containing Nigeria and Greece. A tough 2-2 draw against Nigeria in their final match was enough to see the Koreans through, although they fell to a late Luis Suarez strike in the Round of 16.
Their chances of success in Russia will be slim considering they find themselves in one of the more difficult groups. They will face Germany, Mexico and Sweden, who are all expected to make light work of the Koreans. Yet you can’t write off a team that has so much experience at the World Cup, and the underdog tag will certainly suit them.
