The lineup, which has become 25.7 years younger on average, is the starting line of the North Korea-China World Cup

Jun 10, 2025

The lineup, which has become 25.7 years younger on average, is the starting line of the North Korea-China World Cup
Photo =Capture the official SNS of the Korea Football Association



The lineup, which has become 25.7 years younger on average, is the starting line of the North Korea-China World Cup
Coach Hong Myung-bo's eyes are already on the World Cup finals. He entered the main race system with a large number of young blood.

South Korea, led by head coach Hong, will play the final Group B match against Kuwait in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 10th. Hong Myung-bo won 2-0 in the ninth away game against Iraq on the 6th, confirming his trip to North Korea, China and the U.S.

The result doesn't mean much, but if you don't lose, you can qualify as undefeated + No. 1 in the group. It didn't matter to Hong. The match against Kuwait was the starting point of the North Korea-China U.S. World Cup.




The lineup, which has become 25.7 years younger on average, is the starting line of the North Korea-China World Cup
The lineup proves this. Hong chose an unconventional approach. They filled the top 11 with players under the age of 30. The oldest field player was Hwang In-beom (29, Feyenoord). Most of the players were in their early 20s, including Bae Joon-ho (22, Stokestee), Lee Tae-seok (Pohang), Lee Han-beom (Mit Willan, 23), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), and Oh Hyun-kyu (Henk, 24). The average age of the best 11 players against Kuwait was 25.7 years.

It has changed 180 degrees from the Iraq war centered on Lee Jae-sung (Mines), Kwon Kyung-won (Korpakan, 33), Park Yong-woo (32, Al Ain), and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Hwang In-beom and Cho Yoo-min (Sharja, 29). The average age of the starting lineup against Iraq reached 29.

Coach Hong Myung-bo expressed his strong will to change generations after taking office. After taking office, a new face was selected for every convocation. However, as the trip to the World Cup is at stake, it was not easy to choose a major change in the third qualifying round. But as soon as he was decided to go to the finals, he turned to the young national team. The roadmap for the North Korea-China World Cup has also begun.








This article was translated by Naver AI translator.