Overview
The South Korean national team started 2026 not very smoothly when they suffered two consecutive defeats in a series of friendly matches in March. Coach Hong Myung-bo's team lost heavily 0-4 to Ivory Coast before continuing to fall 0-1 to Austria just 3 days later.
However, the Asian representative quickly regained confidence with an explosive performance in the US last weekend. In the first friendly match to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, South Korea easily defeated Trinidad & Tobago with a score of 5-0.
Captain Son Heung-min shone with a double goal, while Cho Gue-sung and Hwang Hee-chan also wrote their names on the scoreboard. This is their biggest victory since June 2024, when they crushed Singapore 7-0 in the World Cup qualifiers.
South Korea will enter their 11th consecutive World Cup after an impressive qualifying campaign. Hong Myung-bo's team is unbeaten in all 16 matches, winning 11 and drawing 5 matches, and scoring 40 goals.
Currently ranked 25th in the FIFA rankings, South Korea aims to close the preparation process with another victory against El Salvador before entering Group A of the 2026 World Cup with Mexico, South Africa and the Czech Republic. Their opening match will take place on June 12 against the Czech Republic.
Meanwhile, El Salvador continues to wait for the opportunity to return to the World Cup stage after more than four decades. The Central American team could not win a ticket to the 2026 World Cup when they were eliminated in the CONCACAF regional qualifiers.
La Selecta only won one of the 6 matches in Group A of the qualifiers, lost 5 matches and ranked last in the group after Panama, Suriname and Guatemala. Notably, they conceded a total of 7 goals and did not score any in the last 2 matches.
However, since missing the World Cup, the team under the guidance of coach Hernan Dario Gomez has had positive signs. In the training camp in March, El Salvador drew 2-2 with the Dominican Republic before defeating Martinique 1-0.
Ranked 100th in the world according to the FIFA rankings, El Salvador is aiming to win two consecutive victories at the national team level for the first time since November 2024.
Personnel situation
Because this is the last friendly match before entering the 2026 World Cup, Hong Myung-bo is likely to field the strongest squad to complete the final preparations for the opening match.
The focus in the attack is still Son Heung-min. The Korean national team captain is currently only two goals behind the scoring record of legend Cha Bum-kun and is expected to continue playing as a starter. The Los Angeles FC star is likely to play alongside Hwang Hee-chan and Lee Jae-sung in the attacking trio.
On the El Salvador side, striker Nathan Ordaz is expected to lead the attack. This young striker has just scored his first 2 goals for the national team in the 2-2 draw with the Dominican Republic at the beginning of the year.
In goal, captain Mario Gonzalez is likely to have his 56th appearance for the national team. This experienced goalkeeper is expected to be protected by the central defender pair Julio Sibrian and Jorge Cruz, while Jairo Henriquez and Mayer Gil are bright candidates for a starting spot in midfield.
Expected lineup:
Korea: 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: Gonzalez, Clavel, Sibrian, Cruz, A. Henriquez, J. Henriquez, Martinez, Diaz, Gil, Vasquez, Ordaz.
The match between South Korea and El Salvador takes place at 8:00 AM on June 3rd (Vietnam time).
