Photo : YONHAP News
Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min has been excluded from the South Korean national football team’s roster for the third round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, after he sat out two recent Premier League matches due to a hamstring injury.
The Korea Football Association(KFA) said Friday that it decided to exclude the national team captain from the two matches scheduled for this month to allow him to rest and recover.
Hong Hyun-seok, an attacking midfielder for Bundesliga’s FSV Mainz 05, is Son’s replacement.
Earlier, national team head coach Hong Myung-bo unveiled his 26-member squad, including Son, for the next set of Group B matches: the first against Jordan in Amman next Thursday and the other against Iraq in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, October 15.
Since suffering the injury during a UEFA Europa League match against Qarabag in London last week, Son was held out by Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou for a game against Manchester United. The 32-year-old also sat out an away Europa League match against Ferencváros TC.
South Korea currently ranks second in Group B, after Jordan, and the top two teams from each group will advance to the next round.