South Korea goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo speaks with reporters at Seongnam Stadium in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on July 4, 2025, before a training session in preparation for the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 4 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s top goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo said Friday he was looking forward to leading a youthful squad at the upcoming regional tournament on home soil.
Jo, 33, is the second-oldest player on South Korea’s 26-man squad for the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship. The host South Korea will open the tournament against China on Monday and then will play Hong Kong next Friday. South Korea will then take on Japan on July 15. All three matches will be played at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, about 40 kilometers south of Seoul.
But Jo is the most experienced player with 42 caps, with the 35-year-old forward Joo Min-kyu having collected only nine caps. Head coach Hong Myung-bo named Jo captain of the squad featuring nine international rookies and no Europe-based veterans.
“I’d like to welcome the new players and congratulate them on their selections,” Jo said before a training session at Seongnam Stadium in Seongnam, some 20 km south of Seoul. “This will be an important tournament and a great opportunity for those new guys. We’re expected to win the tournament but it won’t be so easy. The key will be to play with confidence and execute our game plans. As a veteran here, I will try to lead the way responsibly.”
Hong has declared the training camp and the tournament will be “a war” for players trying to make the FIFA World Cup squad next year. In the absence of many mainstays from Europe — with clubs there under no obligation to release those players — this is one of the last remaining opportunities for players in the domestic K League to make an impression on Hong.
Jo, the reigning K League 1 MVP for Ulsan HD FC, won’t have to worry about his standing within the national team.
Jo has been South Korea’s first-choice keeper for years. After grabbing the starting gig at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, he ceded that job to Kim Seung-gyu at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. But Jo has been in the main role since the beginning of 2024 and is a strong candidate to be South Korea’s top keeper again at next year’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
While Jo has little left to prove, his two teammates at this training camp, Lee Chang-geun and Kim Dong-heon, will try to make their case for a backup spot.
Lee, 31, has earned two caps, while Kim, 28, has never once played for the national team.
“We have incredible vibes on this team right now,” Jo said. “If every one of us can go out there and play with confidence, I think we will do really well.”
South Korean players and coaches prepare for a training session at Seongnam Stadium in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on July 4, 2025, in preparation for the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Jo, having recently competed at the FIFA Club World Cup in the U.S., stressed the importance of his position at next year’s big tournament.
On Ulsan’s three straight losses to Mamelodi Sundowns FC, Fluminense FC and Borussia Dortmund, Jo said, “It made all of us realize we have to try harder, but at the same time, I felt we could compete on a big stage. And if the goalkeeper can come up with saves, it can really help the team.”
One of the new faces Jo will be helping along this month will be Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors midfielder Kang Sang-yoon. The 21-year-old has played seven matches for the under-23 national team but none for the senior side so far.
Kang is the youngest player at this training camp but he insisted age won’t be a factor as he competes for a spot on the World Cup squad.
When told he might be too young to play at the World Cup next year, Kang said. “I just have to show it on the pitch. That’ll be more important than anything I say.”
Kang wasn’t initially picked for the 23-man squad, but was one of three additional picks when the tournament squad expanded to 26 last week.
“I expected to be picked the first time because I’d been playing well. I was a bit disappointed when it didn’t happen,” Kang said. “Now that I’ve been given this precious opportunity, I will try to make the most of it.”
(Yonhap)
