South Korea's national football team, preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, has suffered an unexpected setback. Central defender Cho Yu-min of Sharjah has been ruled out after sustaining an injury in a friendly match against Trinidad and Tobago.
The Korean national team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, announced Sunday (Korean time) that Cho Yu-min would be released from the squad due to injury. Cho Wi-je, who plays for K League 1 club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, has been selected as his replacement. Cho Wi-je, who had joined the team's pre-camp in Salt Lake City, Utah, as a "training partner," was immediately added to the 26-man final World Cup roster, the deadline for which fell on Sunday, taking Cho Yu-min's place.
According to the national team, a hospital examination that day confirmed a partial tear of the plantar fascia in the heel of Cho Yu-min's right foot.
"He was diagnosed with an eight-week recovery period. We determined it would be difficult for him to play in the upcoming North American World Cup matches. Cho Yu-min will be released from the squad as soon as flights are arranged, and he plans to return to Korea to focus on treatment and rehabilitation," a national team official said.
The national team has been training since November 18 at a pre-camp in Salt Lake City, Utah, located at an altitude of 1,460 meters, to acclimatize early to the high-altitude environment of Guadalajara, Mexico, where they will play their first and second group-stage matches at the World Cup.
The squad had been progressing smoothly without a single injury during the pre-camp, but an unexpected injury occurred in the friendly match.
In the match against Trinidad and Tobago held the previous day, Cho Yu-min, who started as a central defender, twisted his right ankle area while attempting to block a Trinidad and Tobago player's breakthrough early in the second half and sat down on the pitch.
Feeling something wrong with his foot, Cho Yu-min raised his hand to signal the bench, then left the field carried on a staff member's back with a pained expression. Following the subsequent examination, he was ultimately excluded from the final World Cup roster.
Meanwhile, Bae Jun-ho of Stoke City, who was also substituted off in the same match amid injury concerns alongside Cho Yu-min, was confirmed to be in no major physical trouble.
Bae Jun-ho sustained a minor injury to his right ankle. He will participate in the next day's training while monitoring the condition of the affected area.
