Today's Talking Points
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1South Korea are co-hosting the tournament alongside Japan in the Asian bracket — they famously co-hosted in 2002 and reached the semi-finals, which is still considered one of the great tournament shocks, though controversially so.
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2Son Heung-min of Tottenham is their captain and best player — one of the most complete forwards in world football, he'll be 34 by the time the tournament ends, making this likely his last major tournament.
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3South Korea are in Group A with Mexico, South Africa and Czech Republic — Mexico as hosts are the favourites to top the group, but South Korea reaching the knockout stages is a realistic target.
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4Korean football has grown enormously in the last 20 years — the league has improved, players are going to Europe earlier, and the national team is consistently in the top 30 in the world, which reflects real development.
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5The pressure on Son in Korea is enormous — he's a national hero at home, plays under intense public scrutiny, and every tournament performance is analysed in extraordinary detail by the Korean press.
🍺 Top Thing To Say Down The Pub
Son Heung-min is 34 by the end of the tournament and this is almost certainly his last World Cup. He might genuinely be the best all-round forward here. Don't write South Korea off just because they're not a big name.
🚫 Avoid Saying
"South Korea are always gritty" — they're actually quite technically gifted now. Son plays for Spurs, Lee Kang-in plays for PSG. They're not a defend-and-counter team anymore.