Hong Myung-bo Appointed as Head Coach of Korean Football... Until 2027 Asian Cup (Comprehensive)

Return after 10 years since the 2014 Brazil World Cup
Mid-term evaluation at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup
Technical Director I Im-saeng to hold related briefing tomorrow

As the 2026 North American World Cup approaches, Korean football, which had been wavering, is finally entrusting the baton to Hong Myung-bo, the head coach of Ulsan HD.

The Korea Football Association announced on the 7th that Coach Hong has been appointed as the next head coach of the national football team. With this, Korean football welcomes a new coach after a long five months since J?rgen Klinsmann (Germany) was dismissed on February 16. It is the first time in six years that a Korean coach will officially lead the national team since Shin Tae-yong, the current Indonesia coach, led the team until the 2018 Russia World Cup.

Hong Myung-bo, appointed as the head coach of the national soccer team, Ulsan HD coach
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Coach Hong was a key figure as a player in the legendary 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup semi-final run and is a 'hero' of Korean football who led the team to a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics as a coach. Having led the national team from 2013 to 2014 and participated in the 2014 Brazil World Cup, Coach Hong is now returning as the head coach of the national team after 10 years.

Although Coach Hong faced heavy criticism for the group stage elimination at the Brazil World Cup, this experience is expected to be an asset in the challenge for the North American World Cup. From 2017 to 2020, he served as the executive director at the Korea Football Association, giving him a strong understanding of administration, which is seen as a strength in enhancing his control both inside and outside the team. Additionally, since 2021, he has led Ulsan to two K League 1 championships in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and he knows domestic players like Joo Min-kyu (Ulsan), who made his late debut in A matches this year, better than anyone else.

On the 2nd of this month, Lee Im-saeng, the general director of the technical department at the Football Association, who had traveled to Europe to interview foreign coaches such as David Wagner and Gus Poyet, returned and personally visited Coach Hong on the 5th to offer him the position of national team head coach. A Korea Football Association official said, "Director Lee persuaded Coach Hong as if making a 'three visits' effort," adding, "Coach Hong took a day to consider and conveyed his acceptance on the evening of the 6th."

Although he is still in the status of a nominee as the board has not yet approved, it is known that Coach Hong and the Football Association completed the contract procedures on the morning of the same day.

The contract period is basically for about two years and six months, until the Saudi Arabia Asian Cup held in January to February 2027. A mid-term evaluation will be conducted right after the North American World Cup in June 2026. Coach Hong will lead the national team starting from the first match of the third round of Asian qualifiers for the North American World Cup against Palestine at home on September 5.

Hong Myung-bo, appointed as the head coach of the national soccer team, Ulsan HD coach
[Photo by Yonhap News]

After several months without finding a permanent head coach and having to send the team under interim coaches during two A-match periods, the Football Association appears to have finally sent an 'SOS' to Coach Hong, who currently leads a K League 1 club. Since Klinsmann stepped down, the Football Association has been searching for a new coach centered around the National Team Strengthening Committee.

There was speculation that the next coach might be a foreigner after Jeong Hae-seong, the chairman of the Strengthening Committee who was known to have recommended a domestic coach to the Football Association's senior officials, resigned on the 28th of last month. However, following Chairman Jeong, Director Lee Im-saeng, who led the coach appointment process, interviewed foreign candidates such as Wagner and Poyet and concluded that Coach Hong was the most suitable.

Director Lee is scheduled to hold a briefing on the related matters on the morning of the 8th at the Football Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul.