FIFA U-17 World Cup
Six months on from their quarter-final exit at the AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026™ to Uzbekistan on penalties, head coach Kim Hyun-jun has only retained 13 players in his 21-man squad for the global showdown.
Factfile
Previous appearances: 8
Best finish: Quarter-finals (1987, 2009, 2019)
2025 Result: Round of 32
How they qualified: AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026™ quarter-finalists
Head coach: Kim Hyun-jun
Group B Fixtures - Nov 19 v Uganda; Nov 22 v New Caledonia; Nov 25 v Ecuador
Fun fact: Korea Republic will be featuring in the Finals for the fourth consecutive edition
Previous appearances: 8
Best finish: Quarter-finals (1987, 2009, 2019)
2025 Result: Round of 32
How they qualified: AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026™ quarter-finalists
Head coach: Kim Hyun-jun
Group B Fixtures - Nov 19 v Uganda; Nov 22 v New Caledonia; Nov 25 v Ecuador
Fun fact: Korea Republic will be featuring in the Finals for the fourth consecutive edition
#AFCU17 - Q-final: Uzbekistan 2 (5-3) 2 Korea Republic
Preparations started in September with participation in the UEFA Friendship Cup where they played against England, Colombia and Egypt before another week-long training camp earlier this month at the Korea Football Park.
Spearheaded by 19 players from the youth teams of professional clubs in the country, Lee Seung-hwa and Baek Ge-on are the only two players in the squad to come from high school teams with midfielder Lim Ji-sung the youngest in the group at 16 years of age.
Spearheaded by 19 players from the youth teams of professional clubs in the country, Lee Seung-hwa and Baek Ge-on are the only two players in the squad to come from high school teams with midfielder Lim Ji-sung the youngest in the group at 16 years of age.
Defender Choi Min-jun (pictured above) is the only returnee from last year’s squad that reached the Round of 32 before losing 2-0 to England.
On paper, Kim will know that Korea Republic stand a good chance of reaching the knockout stage with Ecuador, possibly their toughest challengers in Group B and the East Asians must aim for wins against Uganda and New Caledonia before facing the South Americans in their final group match.
On paper, Kim will know that Korea Republic stand a good chance of reaching the knockout stage with Ecuador, possibly their toughest challengers in Group B and the East Asians must aim for wins against Uganda and New Caledonia before facing the South Americans in their final group match.
