Pre-World Cup 2026 friendlies: South Korea-El Salvador, likely lineups

South Korea fine-tunes final details ahead of the 2026 World Cup in Canada, the United States and Mexico. The Asian selection on Wednesday night at 3 a.m. (Italian time) in Sandy (Utah) takes on El Salvador in a test match to test its form and finalize the final choices before the World Cup kicks off.

The Koreans’ first match in the tournament is scheduled for June 12 against the Czech Republic.

Legend Son Heung-min, in his fourth career World Cup, will lead the Koreans’ attack: in the trident with him will be Hwang Hee-chan and Lee Jae-sung. The defense will be headed by Bayern Munich star Kim Min-Jae; midfield operations will be handled by Kim Jin-gyu and Paik Seung-ho. On the flanks are Castrop and Kim Moon-hwan.

El Salvador, eliminated in the playoffs, currently occupies the No. 100 spot in the FIFA rankings and should offer little resistance.

South Korea-El Salvador, the likely lineups
SOUTH KOREA (3-4-3): Kim Seung-gyu; Lee Ki-hyuk, Kim Min-jae, Lee Han-beom; Kim Moon-hwan, Kim Jin-gyu, Paik Seung-ho, Castrop; Hwang Hee-chan, Lee Jae-sung; Son Heung-min.
EL SALVADOR (4-3-3): Gonzalez; Clavel, Sibrian, Cruz, A. Henriquez; J. Henriquez, Martinez, Diaz, Gil; Vasquez, Ordaz.