South Korea National Team: Football Squad, Next Match and African Kick Off Times

The South Korea national team is the men's football side that FIFA lists as Korea Republic, run by the Korea Football Association, which was founded in 1948 and joined FIFA that same year. It made its 12th World Cup appearance in 2026, having debuted in 1954, and in 2002, as joint host with Japan, it became the first Asian team to reach the semi finals and finished fourth. Readers in South Africa often search for the South Korea soccer team, and it is the same side.

The live modules provide squad, fixture, result and ranking information. What follows explains how to read them, with kick off times in SAST, WAT, EAT and GMT, the honours with their years, and the African threads, from Ghana's World Cup meeting with Korea in Qatar to the lunchtime viewing hours that a 20:00 Seoul kick off creates in Lagos. Think of it the way you would think of a danfo route, where the stops stay fixed and only the traffic changes.

Who Is in the South Korea Squad, and Who Are the Key Players?

The South Korea squad is named by the head coach before each international window, and the live squad module above lists every player by position and club as soon as the Korea Football Association announces it. In my opinion, though, four names explain why the Korea squad is searched so often in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya. In November 2026, Son Heung-min held South Korea’s appearance and scoring records. Kim Min-jae is a centre back.

Lee Kang-in is a left footed creator, and Hwang Hee-chan is a direct forward. So, when a new squad is announced, read the announced squad by position and club, because a Korean side tends to lean on pressing, fitness and quick breaks rather than long spells on the ball. The club column matters for African readers too, since it tells you which European or MLS matches to watch to follow a Taegeuk Warrior between internationals.

South Korea Next Match: What Time Is Kick Off Where You Live?

The South Korea next match, with its opponent, venue and competition, sits in the fixtures box above, and each card shows the kick off in SAST, WAT, EAT and GMT so nobody has to do sums on a phone. Korea Standard Time is nine hours ahead of GMT all year round, and none of the five African countries here changes its clocks, so the gap never moves. A home game in Seoul at 20:00 starts at 11:00 GMT in Accra, 12:00 WAT in Lagos, 13:00 SAST in Johannesburg and 14:00 EAT in Nairobi and Kampala.

That makes a Korean home fixture a lunchtime match across most of Africa, which suits a phone at a desk more than a packed viewing centre. But, when Korea travel to Europe or the Americas, the picture flips, and a European evening kick off can land late at night in Nairobi and Kampala while it is still evening in Accra. Each fixture card also carries a short note on what the match means, whether it is a World Cup qualifier in the Asian zone, an Asian Cup tie or a friendly against an African side, which is where the Ghana and Ivory Coast threads come in.

Where Can You Watch the Taegeuk Warriors in Africa?

Where to watch South Korea is listed per country in the broadcast line on each fixture card, because rights change by competition and by season. Use the fixture card’s country specific broadcast listing for the relevant competition. So, check the card on the day of the match, and if you are watching in a pub or a fan zone with friends, the local time printed beside your country is the one to send round the group chat.

What Is South Korea's World Cup Record?

South Korea made its 12th World Cup appearance in 2026, having debuted in 1954, and their best finish is fourth place at the 2002 tournament they hosted with Japan. That 2002 run is the defining story for this team, in my opinion, and it began with a 2 to 0 win over Poland, the country's first ever World Cup victory. Korea went on to the semi finals, the first Asian side to get that far, and Hong Myung-bo won the Bronze Ball as the first Asian player to do so.

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Korea finished as Group H runners up after a 2 to 1 win over Portugal, then went out 4 to 1 to Brazil in the round of 16. That same group put them against Ghana, who won 3 to 2 with Mohammed Kudus scoring twice. It could be argued that the thread running through those finals is a team that grows into a tournament, so if you are judging Korea on a first group game alone, perhaps wait for the third before you decide.

Who Coaches South Korea, and Where Do They Sit in the FIFA Ranking?

The current head coach, the FIFA ranking and the recent results are all live modules above, because each one can change between one international window and the next. The coach is appointed by the Korea Football Association, and the ranking is published by FIFA under the name Korea Republic, updated on FIFA’s publication schedule. Read the ranking alongside the results rather than on its own.

Each result in the module shows the score and the competition, so you can tell a World Cup qualifier from a friendly at a glance. That matters with Korea, because friendlies are often used to try new players and new shapes, and a friendly score tells you less than a qualifier does. South Korea played Ivory Coast in a friendly on 28 March 2026, with Ivory Coast winning 4 to 0.

Why Are They Called the Taegeuk Warriors, and What Have They Won?

South Korea are nicknamed the Taegeuk Warriors, after the red and blue taegeuk symbol at the centre of the national flag, and also the Tigers of Asia, while the official supporters' group, the Red Devils, was founded in 1995. The team's first international was a 5 to 3 win over Mexico at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, and the first home match came on 21 April 1956, a qualifier against the Philippines at Dongdaemun Stadium. That is a long road from an Olympic pitch in London to a side that has become a regular at the World Cup.

On the honours list, South Korea won the AFC Asian Cup in 1956 and 1960, Asian Games gold in 1970, 1978 and 1986, and the EAFF Championship in 2003, 2008, 2015, 2017 and 2019. So, the regional titles have come steadily, but the Asian Cup is the trophy Korean supporters weigh every generation against, and in my opinion it is the one to watch whenever that tournament comes round. For a nation with Korea's World Cup pedigree, the continental crown is the measure each new squad sets itself, much as the Africa Cup of Nations is for the big sides on our own continent.

Who Holds the South Korea Records for Caps and Goals?

In November 2026, Son Heung-min held both national records, with 151 caps and 59 goals. The records module provides updated appearance and scoring totals.

Where Do South Korea Play at Home?

South Korea play home matches at more than one stadium, and the venue for each game is printed on its fixture card above. The story started at Dongdaemun Stadium in Seoul, where the first home match, a qualifier against the Philippines, was played on 21 April 1956. The 2002 World Cup then left the country with a set of large modern grounds built for that tournament, and the federation spreads its home internationals across them, which is why the city on the card can change from one window to the next.

Wherever the match is, the Red Devils turn a home crowd into a wall of red, and that atmosphere is part of why Korea are a hard side to visit. For African readers living, studying or working in Korea, tickets for home internationals are released through the Korea Football Association's official channels once a fixture is confirmed. So, the practical step is to watch for the fixture card to appear, note the venue and kick off, and then go to the federation's own announcements for the sale details rather than any unofficial reseller.

Why Do South Korea Matter in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya and Uganda?

For Ghanaian readers the link is personal, because the 3 to 2 win in Qatar in 2022 is one of the Black Stars' warmest World Cup memories. Nigeria and South Korea also met in the group stage of the 2010 World Cup in Durban, a match that still comes up when Super Eagles fans talk about that tournament. In my opinion, Korea's pressing game is exactly the test Super Eagles players will meet against Asian opposition at a World Cup, and the Ivory Coast friendly of March 2026 showed how naturally African sides fit into Korea's calendar.

South Africa brings the biggest audience of the five, and Bafana Bafana supporters often compare Asia's long qualifying road with the African one, since both continents fight for a limited number of World Cup places. In Kenya and Uganda the pull is mostly the Premier League, where Son and Hwang became familiar faces on Saturday afternoons. If you follow several sides, our hub of national teams puts Korea beside the African nations you already support, with the same kick off zones on every card.

What Does Korea Republic Mean?

Korea Republic is the name used for South Korea in FIFA competitions.