South Korea sends 27 players to Club World Cup

South Korea will be represented by 27 players at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, where the world’s top football clubs will compete for global supremacy.

According to the squad lists released by FIFA on Thursday, the South Korean contingent includes four players based overseas: Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Park Yong-woo (Al Ain), and Kim Kee-hee (Seattle Sounders). The other 23 players are from Ulsan Hyundai, a K League 1 club.

By nationality, Brazilian players make up the largest group with 142, followed by Argentina (104), Spain (54), Portugal (49), the United States (42), Mexico (40), and France (37).

Ulsan, which won its third consecutive K League 1 title last season, is the only South Korean club competing in this year’s tournament. The team has already earned $9.55 million in participation fees, a figure 28 times larger than the K League 1 championship prize.

“Our goal is to reach the round of 16 with one win and two draws in the group stage,” said Ulsan head coach Kim Pan-gon. If successful, the club would secure an additional $11.5 million in prize money.


김정훈기자 hun@donga.com