South Korea captain Son Heung-min, center, trains at Zions Bank Training Center in Herriman, Utah, May 27. Newsis
It’s almost time. The countdown to the 2026 World Cup has gone from years to months to weeks, and now it is just days away. On June 11 (local time), South Korea will kick off its 11th successive appearance on the global stage — only Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Spain have longer streaks — against the Czech Republic in the Mexican city of Guadalajara. Then there are games against co-host Mexico and South Africa.
The mood in the country has not been especially positive, but it is time to get excited —this is, after all, the World Cup. It is still the biggest sporting event on the planet. The most famous players are descending on North America, including Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Jude Bellingham, Erling Haaland and Korea's own Son Heung-min. The expansion from 32 to 48 teams has been criticized by many, but one thing is for sure: There will be many games — 104 in total — for those that have the time to watch.
How many of those games the Taegeuk Warriors will play remains to be seen. In the past, getting out of the group and into the Round of 16 was seen as success. Now there is a Round of 32. Failing to get that far would not go down well back home.
