Hong Myung-bo

Hong Myung-bo is the head coach of South Korea at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, in his second spell in charge of his country. Born in Seoul on 12 February 1969, he is the most decorated Korean defender of the modern era — a sweeper of unusual composure who played at four consecutive World Cups between 1990 and 2002, the first Asian player ever to do so, and won the Bronze Ball as Korea reached the semi-finals on home soil in 2002.

He began coaching with the Korean youth setup in 2009, led the U-23 side to a bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympics — the country's first Olympic football medal — and took the senior job in 2013. The 2014 World Cup in Brazil, with one point from three matches, ended that stint badly. Hong rebuilt his reputation patiently: Hangzhou Greentown in China, an assistant role at the LA Galaxy, then Ulsan Hyundai from 2020. There he engineered back-to-back K League 1 titles in 2022 and 2023, ending the club's long wait for a domestic championship.

The Korea Football Association brought him back on 8 July 2024, replacing Jürgen Klinsmann after a fractious Asian Cup. Hong delivered: South Korea finished top of their Asian qualifying group and booked the 2026 World Cup. They are placed in Group L. Around captain Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, Kim Min-jae, Hwang Hee-chan and a deep wave of European-based players, Hong's mandate is to return Korea to a knockout-round run for the first time since 2010.