Hong Myung-bo

Hong Myung-bo is one of South Korea's greatest footballers and now the man charged with leading the national team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Born in South Korea, Hong played as a sweeper and is widely considered one of the finest Asian defenders of all time. He participated in four consecutive World Cups (1990-2002) and captained South Korea to a fourth-place finish at the 2002 tournament on home soil, winning the Bronze Ball award. He later became the first Asian player to appear at four World Cups.

After retiring, Hong moved into coaching, serving as assistant at the 2006 World Cup, then taking charge of the under-23 side (winning bronze at the 2010 Asian Games and 2012 Olympics) before his first stint as senior head coach (2013-14), which ended in resignation following a winless group-stage exit in Brazil. He rebuilt his reputation at club level, winning back-to-back K League 1 titles with Ulsan HD in 2022 and 2023. He was reappointed as South Korea's senior head coach in July 2024.

Under Hong's guidance, South Korea dominated their AFC qualifying group, amassing 22 points from 10 matches. At the 2026 World Cup, the team's training CAMP in Zapopan, Guadalajara became the scene of a drone incident shortly before their Group A match against hosts Mexico, drawing unwanted attention at a sensitive moment.