Nine players and three training partners have already touched down in Salt Lake City. The rest of Hong Myung-bo's 26-man World Cup squad follows next week. South Korea's June 11 opener against Czechia isn't far away, and the preparation is on.
The choice of Salt Lake City is deliberate and smart. Sitting at 1,300 metres above sea level, it mirrors the conditions in Guadalajara — where South Korea play two of their three Group A matches. Getting the body adjusted early matters at altitude. Teams that skip that step often find out the hard way in the first 20 minutes of a game.
Who's already there — and who's coming
The early arrivals are the players whose seasons wrapped up first: six K League representatives and three EFL Championship players. The K League contingent includes Lee Dong-gyeong and Jo Hyeon-woo from Ulsan, Kim Jin-gyu and Song Bum-keun from Jeonbuk, Kim Moon-hwan from Daejeon, and Lee Gi-hyuk from Gangwon. From the Championship: Bae Jun-ho (Stoke), Eom Ji-sung (Swansea), and Paik Seung-ho (Birmingham).
Three reserves — Kang Sang-yoon, Cho Wi-je (both Jeonbuk), and Yoon Ki-wook (FC Seoul) — are along as training partners. They're not in the squad, but they keep sessions competitive and give Hong options if injuries hit before the tournament.
Captain Son Heung-min has one more MLS match with Los Angeles FC on Sunday before making the short hop to Utah. The European-based players follow next week.
Two warmups, then Guadalajara
South Korea face Trinidad and Tobago (FIFA 102nd) on May 30 and El Salvador (100th) on June 3, both at BYU South Field in Provo. Neither opponent will trouble a side ranked 25th in the world, but that's the point — these are sharpness tests, not challenges. The real challenge arrives June 11.
Group A puts them against Czechia, Mexico, and South Africa. Hong's stated goal is to qualify "in the best possible position" — and that framing matters. In the expanded 48-team format, finishing first in the group keeps you in Mexico for the round of 32. Finishing second sends you to Los Angeles. Sneaking through in third means facing a group winner in the first knockout round. The incentive to top the group is real.
South Korea have reached the round of 16 at an away World Cup twice — 2010 and 2022. Getting out of a group containing Mexico is the first test of whether 2026 goes further.
