Son Heung-min back in fold for Nov. World Cup qualifiers

Son Heung-min returned to the South Korean men’s national football team on Monday for a pair of World Cup qualifying matches scheduled for later this month.

Head coach Hong Myung-bo unveiled his 26-man team Monday as South Korea prepare for two away matches in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification tournament.

South Korea will first face Kuwait in Kuwait City on Nov. 14 and then take on Palestine in the Jordanian capital of Amman as the neutral venue on Nov. 19. Palestine will play all of their home matches at a neutral site until further notice due to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

South Korea are leading Group B with 10 points on three wins and a draw, three points clear of Jordan and Iraq with six matches remaining.

Son was selected for two matches in October but was later dropped from the team due to a hamstring injury. Without their longtime captain, South Korea defeated Jordan 2-0 and then Iraq 3-2.

Son played for Tottenham Hotspur in their 4-1 win over Aston Villa in the Premier League Sunday — his first match back since Oct. 19. He had missed seven of Spurs’ past eight matches.

Son was subbed out in the 56th minute Sunday and was visibly frustrated with the decision by head coach Ange Postecoglou, who later said the plan all along had been to keep Son’s minutes under 60.

With Tottenham scheduled to play two more matches before Son joins the national team, Hong said he will monitor Son’s minutes closely.

“We will see how much his playing time increases in the next two matches, and that will be part of our preparation for the two November games,” Hong said at his press conference at the Korea Football Association House in Seoul. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for us to push him hard on the national team just because he has returned to action for his club. We’ll first have to see how much he plays in his next club match, and we’ll go from there.

“I obviously understand he wants to play for the national team,” Hong added. “But first and foremost, we have to protect his health.”

Hong selected four players with no prior senior international experience: Gwangju FC goalkeeper Kim Kyeong-min, Pohang Steelers defender Lee Tae-seok, Gimcheon Sangmu FC midfielder Kim Bong-soo and Hannover 96 midfielder Lee Hyun-ju.

Gangwon FC defender Lee Gi-hyuk earned his first selection since July 2022.

“With Lee Gi-hyuk and Kim Bong-soo, I thought they have been playing at a consistently high level since the start of the season,” Hong said. “I’ve also been keeping an eye on Lee Hyun-ju in Germany. His playing time has been trending up, and he has been performing better and better.”

There are three groups of six in the third round, and the top two teams from each group will grab direct tickets to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Teams finishing third and fourth will move on to the fourth round.

South Korea have played at every World Cup since 1986.