Why isn’t Son Heung-min starting for South Korea against South Africa at the 2026 World Cup?
With the qualification to the next round still up for grabs, Son Heung-min has been excluded from South Korea's starting lineup for the last group phase game against South Africa. South Korea heads into Matchday 3 of Group A with its qualification for the Round of 32 still hanging in the balance ahead of their final group match against South Africa at Estadio Monterrey. However, in a bold and shocking move, captain Son Heung-min has been left on the substitute bench for this decisive game. Son will begin the match on the bench due to a tactical decision by head coach Hong Myung-bo. While the Tottenham superstar is fully fit, he has struggled to produce in front of goal during the first two matches, prompting the manager to utilize him as a super-sub against South Africa instead. Instead, the starting frontline will feature PSG’s Lee Kang-in on the right wing, Hwang Hee-chan on the left, and Oh Hyeon-gyu leading the attack as the central striker. With this tactical adjustment, the South Korean manager has opted for the physicality of the Besiktas forward to serve as a target man against the athletic South African backline. Son’s struggles in this tournament trace back to the opening match against Czechia, where he took six shots but failed to find the back of the net. Just two minutes after Hwang In-beom scored a 67th-minute equalizer, Son was substituted for Oh Hyeon-gyu, who went on to score the game-winning goal in the 80th minute. Heung-Min Son #7 of Korea Republic shoots while Raul Rangel #1 of Mexico attempts to save. A similar situation unfolded during the second group match against Mexico. Son once again struggled to create dangerous chances, aside from a shot cleared off the line by Edson Alvarez, and was replaced by Oh early in the second half in the 57th minute in what would end up being a 1-0 defeat against El Tri. A rare bench appearance for the Korean captain Following his breakthrough onto soccer’s biggest stage, Son Heung-min quickly established himself as the undisputed superstar and captain of the South Korean national team. However, starting tonight’s critical match against South Africa on the sidelines marks an incredibly rare moment in the legendary forward’s international career. Since making his tournament debut in 2014, Son has featured in all 12 of South Korea’s World Cup matches across the 2018, 2022, and 2026 World Cup campaigns. He had started every single one of those fixtures and was subbed off just four times, making this clash against South Africa the first World Cup game of his career that he will watch from the dugout at kickoff.
