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S. Korean training camp opens for East Asian football tournament

Published: 03 Jul. 2025, 17:47

Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo directs his players during their Group B match against Kuwait in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification at Seoul World Cup Stadium in the capital, in this file photo from June 10. [YONHAP]

The training camp for the Korean men's national football team gearing up for an upcoming regional tournament opened Thursday, with head coach Hong Myung-bo set to put domestic leaguers through an early audition before next year's World Cup.

Korea will host the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Football Championship starting Monday. On the men's side, Korea will face China on Monday, Hong Kong on July 11 and Japan on July 15. All three matches will be played at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, about 40 kilometers (24.9 miles) south of Seoul.

For the first training session Thursday, Hong gathered his players at Seongnam Stadium in Seongnam, some 20 kilometers north of Yongin.

The top men's EAFF tournament began in 2003 and Korea will go for their sixth title.

The EAFF event isn't part of FIFA's international match calendar, meaning clubs weren't obligated to release their players. Hong's 26-man squad doesn't feature any of the usual national team mainstays based in Europe, such as Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur and Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain. Instead, the coach has selected 23 players from the domestic K League 1 and three players from Japan's J1 League.

For the World Cup next year, about half of Korea's squad will likely be veterans based in Europe or the Middle East. Among J1 League players, FC Machida Zelvia forward Oh Se-hun has been getting opportunities under Hong and should be in the mix. That will leave precious few spots up for grabs for K League stars, and the EAFF tournament will be a crucial opportunity for them to leave an impression on Hong.

After the E-1 championship, Korea will have their usual suspects back for international friendlies in September and beyond in their lead-up to the World Cup.

Of the 26 players on this iteration of the team, nine players have earned their first senior national team call-ups, including Pohang Steelers forward Lee Ho-jae, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors defender Kim Tae-hyun and Ulsan HD FC defender Seo Myung-gwan.

Some K Leaguers may have the inside track after taking advantage of significant playing time in recent World Cup qualifying matches. The group includes Jeonbuk forward Jeon Jin-woo, who leads the K League 1 this season with 12 goals.

Another Machida Zelvia player, midfielder Na Sang-ho, is back on the national team for the first time since June 2023.

Yonhap