Yang Min-hyeok of Gangwon FC (R) is in action against Gimcheon Sangmu FC during the clubs’ K League 1 match at Gimcheon Stadium in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, on Aug. 9, 2024, in this file photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — Premier League-bound teen sensation Yang Min-hyeok was named to the South Korean men’s national team for upcoming World Cup qualifying matches on Monday.
Head coach Hong Myung-bo put Yang, the 18-year-old forward for Gangwon FC, on his 26-man squad for two World Cup qualifying matches scheduled for next month.
To kick off Group B action in the third round of the Asian qualifying campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, South Korea will host Palestine at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on Sept. 5. They will then play Oman at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat at 6 p.m. on Sept. 10 local time, or 11 p.m. the same night in South Korea.
Yang has emerged as the top young player in the K League 1 this year, leading all first-year players with eight goals and five assists and pushing Gangwon to first place in the 12-team league. In July, he signed for Tottenham Hotspur, becoming the youngest South Korean player to join a Premier League side. Yang will finish his South Korean season and then join Spurs in January next year.
At 18 years and 137 days old, Yang is the 13th-youngest player to be named to the men’s national team.
Yang is one of four first-time selections, along with his Gangwon teammate Hwang Moon-gi, FC Midtjylland defender Lee Han-beom and Incheon United defender Choi Woo-jin.
Usual suspects include Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur, captain for both his Premier League club and the national team, and Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain, who has scored in each of the French club’s first two matches of the young season. Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae and Mainz 05 midfielder Lee Jae-sung were also called up.
Of the 26 players, 14 ply their trade overseas.
The Oman match will be Hong’s first match in his second tour of duty as the national team head coach.
There are three groups of six in the third round, and the top two nations from each group will qualify for the World Cup, while the teams ranked third and fourth will advance to the fourth round for another crack at the big tournament.
In addition to Palestine and Oman, South Korea will face Iraq, Jordan and Kuwait in Group B.
South Korea have played at every World Cup since 1986.
(Yonhap)
