Son Heung-min of the South Korean national football team trains with his teammates at the MK Dons training ground in Milton Keynes, northwest of London, on March 26 (local time), ahead of the match against Ivory Coast. [Yonhap News]  

With the 2026 North and Central America World Cup just a month away, the greatest interest among South Korean football fans is undoubtedly the final outcome for Hong Myung-bo's team.

Yonhap News asked three football experts about Hong Myung-bo's team's expected performance, strengths and weaknesses, and players expected to make a surprise impact.

All of them predicted that the national team would easily pass the group stage, but opinions were divided on whether they could advance beyond the Round of 32.

The experts unanimously agreed that the "class" of key players like Son Heung-min (LAFC), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) is the team's greatest asset.

Weaknesses cited included the team's struggles to penetrate the opponent's danger zone due to a lack of cohesion in attack, the imperfect execution of coach Hong Myung-bo's three-back defensive tactics, and the gap in skill between starting and reserve players.

South Korea, ranked 25th in the FIFA rankings, is in Group A with host nation Mexico. All three of their group stage matches will be played in Mexico.

South Korea will play their first match against 41st-ranked Czech Republic on June 12 (Korean time) at 11:00 AM at the Akron Stadium in Guadalajara.

They will then face 15th-ranked Mexico at the same venue on June 19 at 10:00 AM, and 60th-ranked South Africa on June 25 at 10:00 AM at the BBVA Stadium in Monterrey for their third match.

On March 30 (local time), one day before the match against Austria, Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the national football team, watches training at the Ernst Happel Stadium, where the match will be held, lost in thought. [Yonhap News]  

◇ Park Chan-ha, Commentator = I expect them to reach the Round of 32. With the expansion to 48 participating nations, it has become harder to predict who the tournament opponents will be. It's difficult to predict what will happen beyond the Round of 32.

The strength of Hong Myung-bo's team lies in having many players who play in strong leagues and possess good individual abilities. As a result, their finishing ability to convert scoring chances into goals is excellent.

Paradoxically, their weakness also lies in attack. They struggle to create many goal-scoring opportunities from central positions. In other words, while they don't create many chances, they manage to capitalize on the chances they do create through individual skill.

Reliance solely on individual finishing ability will inevitably hit a limit, and this was evident in the European tour friendlies in March (two losses).

In the World Cup group stage, we will not play defensively against Czech Republic and South Africa, excluding Mexico. In a situation where we need to create many scoring chances with high possession, there's a possibility that the vulnerability of not creating chances could surface.

On March 31 (local time), Son Heung-min, captain of the South Korean team, looks back as he leaves the field after a match against Austria at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna, Austria. [Yonhap News]  

If midfielder Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), who is currently injured, also fails to perform at his best, the severity of the situation could worsen.

Therefore, I see the first match against Czech Republic as the biggest hurdle in the group stage. A difficult match against Mexico is a given. If we fail to win the crucial match against Czech Republic, it becomes very challenging. However, Czech Republic is a team that doesn't aggressively push forward, so the first match could become very slow-paced. Hong Myung-bo's team seems likely to struggle to break down the Czech defense.

I would like to pick Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic) as a player to watch. Yang Hyun-jun's direct movements and speed could be a significant advantage on a big stage like the World Cup.

During the friendly match between South Korea and Paraguay at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on October 14, Hwang In-beom attempts a shot. [Yonhap News]  

◇ Seo Hyung-wook, Commentator = I expected them to reach the Round of 16, but seeing Hwang In-beom's condition, I've lowered my prediction to the Round of 32. The performance of other key players is also not great. Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae are not getting many opportunities to play for their respective clubs.

The team's strength lies in the organizational chemistry of its overseas-based core players, who have played together for a long time and are either in their prime or have just passed it.

However, while these players have good individual skills, their numbers are not that large. Furthermore, it's difficult to consider them as having "world-class" competitiveness on the World Cup stage at this moment.

The team's ambiguous tactical direction and lack of refinement, with the tournament looming, are sources of concern. Coach Hong should have implemented the three-back system he's trying now from the qualifiers. If he was going to start this late, perhaps he should have focused on complementing the existing Plan A (four-back).

On March 31 (local time), Lee Kang-in takes a shot during a friendly match between the South Korean national football team and Austria at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna, Austria. [Yonhap News]  

There is also concern that the prolonged intensive training camp, which began early, might have adverse effects. By the end of the group stage alone, they will have been in training camp for six weeks.

The crucial match of the group stage will be the first game against Czech Republic. Looking back at our past World Cups, the results of the first match have often dictated the final outcome. The second match will be against the home team, Mexico, making it difficult. Therefore, if we don't win the first match, it will be very tough.

My most anticipated player is Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besiktas). He has shown results every time he has joined the national team and has been consistently scoring for his club. Most importantly, his strong performance in important matches, dating back to his K League days, sparks anticipation.

On March 27 (local time), the day before the match against Ivory Coast, players of the South Korean national football team gather for training at the Milton Keynes Stadium MK, where the match will be held. [Yonhap News]  

◇ Kim Dae-gil, Commentator = I think they will reach the Round of 16. Considering the opponents, we don't need to expend as much energy in the group stage as in previous tournaments. Czech Republic and South Africa are teams we can beat six out of ten times. If we advance to the knockout stage as group winners or runners-up, we will face a manageable opponent in the Round of 32.

To achieve results in the World Cup, you need "game changers." Our strength is having players like Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in who can create decisive goals.

However, the gap in skill between the starting players and bench players is a weakness. To go beyond the Round of 16 to the quarterfinals and semifinals, we need players who can effectively support the starters, and that aspect is lacking. Ultimately, ensuring that key players like Son Heung-min do not get injured will be the most important variable for our performance.

The crucial match of the group stage will be the second game against Mexico. Although Mexico's squad is weaker than before, as we experienced firsthand in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, the home team's advantage is immense. I believe South Korea and Mexico will compete for first place in the group.

I expect fullback Seol Young-woo (Crvena zvezda) to perform unexpectedly well. He has been consistently active for both the national team and his club. He also understands coach Hong's tactics well.