South Korea's national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, has arrived in Salt Lake City for its pre-World Cup training camp and begun acclimatizing to high-altitude conditions ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage.
The squad arrived at Salt Lake City International Airport in Utah on Monday morning to ramp up preparations for the tournament.
Hong's team announced its 26-man roster along with three training partners on the 16th and departed Incheon International Airport on the 18th.
Nine players boarded the flight alongside Hong, his coaching staff and support personnel: K League players Lee Dong-gyeong and Cho Hyun-woo (both Ulsan), Song Bum-keun and Kim Jin-su (both Jeonbuk), Kim Moon-hwan (Daejeon) and Lee Ki-hyuk (Gangwon), as well as overseas-based players whose seasons ended early and who had been training domestically — Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), Eom Ji-sung (Swansea City) and Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City). Training partners selected by Hong — Yoon Ki-wook (Seoul), Cho Wi-je and Kang Sang-yoon (both Jeonbuk) — also joined the trip.
Europe-based players whose seasons have not yet concluded are scheduled to join the pre-camp on the 24th and 25th. However, Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) will join only after playing in the UEFA Champions League final on May 31, Korea time.
The national team will train for two weeks at the Salt Lake City pre-camp, using facilities of Major League Soccer (MLS) club Real Salt Lake and the University of Utah.
The squad's first task is altitude acclimatization. Salt Lake City sits at an elevation of approximately 1,460 meters. Conditions including temperature, humidity and time difference closely resemble those of Guadalajara — the World Cup base camp and host city for Korea's first two group-stage matches, located at an altitude of 1,500 meters — making Salt Lake City an ideal pre-camp location.
Hong plans to first monitor the players' physical condition over two to three days before gradually increasing training intensity. Full-scale tactical preparation for the group stage is expected to begin only after the European-based players, set to arrive on the 24th and 25th, complete their own altitude acclimatization similar to that of the K League players who arrived earlier.
In Salt Lake City, the squad will play two friendly matches: against Trinidad and Tobago on May 31 at 10 a.m. Korea time, and against El Salvador on June 4 at 10 a.m. Korea time. Both matches will be held at Brigham Young University's BYU South Field.
After the Salt Lake City pre-camp, the team will travel to its base camp in Guadalajara, Mexico, on June 5 for final preparations ahead of the group stage. South Korea will face the Czech Republic (June 12, 11 a.m.), Mexico (June 19, 10 a.m., both at Guadalajara Stadium) and South Africa (June 25, 10 a.m., Monterrey Stadium) in Group A of the World Cup, which kicks off on June 12 Korea time.
