South Korea national football team

The South Korea national football team (대한민국 축구 국가대표팀; recognized as Korea Republic by FIFA ) represents South Korea in men's international football and is governed by the Korea Football Association. South Korea has emerged as a major football power in Asia since the 1980s, having participated in ten consecutive and eleven overall FIFA World Cup tournaments, the most for any Asian country. Despite initially going through five World Cup tournaments without winning a match, South Korea became the first (and so far only) Asian team to reach the semi-finals when they co-hosted the 2002 tournament with Japan. South Korea also won two AFC Asian Cup titles, and finished as runners-up on four occasions. Furthermore, the team won three gold medals and three silver medals at the senior Asian Games.

The team is commonly nicknamed the "Reds" by both fans and the media due to the color of their primary kit. The national team's supporting group is officially referred to as the Red Devils.

Nicknames
The South Korea national football team has been known or nicknamed as the Taegeuk Warriors and the Tigers of Asia.

Kits and crest
Red is the traditional shirt color of the South Korean national team, who are consequently nicknamed the "Reds", while the fans are called the "Red Devils". The away shirt has varied between white and blue. In 1994, the home shirt shifted from red to white, but in October 1995, red returned as home color, paired with black shorts.

South Korea used to wear the South Korean flag as their shirt badge until 2001, when their tiger crest was unveiled. On 5 February 2020, the KFA announced a new, more simplistic logo. The emblem retained the tiger, albeit in a more minimalist design, enclosed in a rectangular frame. Red, blue and white, South Korea's traditional colors, have been maintained in the new logo.

Home stadium
The South Korea national team played their first home match at the Dongdaemun Stadium on 21 April 1956. The match was a qualifier for the 1956 AFC Asian Cup against the Philippines. They currently play their home matches at several stadiums, which are also used by K League clubs.

Rivalries
South Korea's biggest rival is Japan. The rivalry is an extension of a competitive rivalry between the two nations that goes beyond football, and some matches in the past have been tainted with controversy. South Korea leads the all-time series with 42 wins, 23 draws and 16 losses.

A rivalry has also developed with Iran. The two nations have played against each other officially since 1958, totalling 33 matches as of March 2022, including eleven World Cup qualifiers. South Korea and Iran were among the strongest Asian national teams during the 1960s and 1970s. Although the teams only had one chance to play against each other in the final match of the AFC Asian Cup, in 1972, they have faced each other five consecutive times in the quarter-finals between 1996 and 2011, with each team recording two wins, two losses, and a draw. Iran leads the all-time series with 13 wins, 10 draws and 10 losses.

Another major rival is Australia. In head-to-head matches, each team achieved 9 wins in 29 encounters, and 11 matches ended in a draw. The two countries have also met in four matches at the Asian Cup, including the 2015 final, where Australia won 2–1 after extra time for their first ever Asian championship.

South Korea has had great success against China, as China failed to beat them in competitive matches for 32 years before finally winning in 2010. They also possess a strong rivalry with North Korea, though matches are infrequent due to diplomatic and security reasons.

Supporters
The official supporter group of the national team, the Red Devils, were founded in 1995. Known for their passionate support, they are commonly referred to as the 12th man. Their most common chant is "Dae~ Han-Min-Guk" (, lit. Republic of Korea or Great Korea), followed by five claps. The FIFA Fan Fest was introduced at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea.

Recent results and fixtures
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Current squad
The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Singapore and China on 6 and 11 June 2024, respectively.

Caps and goals updated as of 11 June 2024, after the match against China.

Recent call-ups
The following players have also been called up to the South Korea squad within the last twelve months.


 * Notes
 * INJ = Withdrew due to injury

Notable former players
The following players were inducted into the KFA Hall of Fame, or were selected for the Korean Best XI of All Time in one or more surveys.  Goalkeepers   Defenders   Midfielders   Forwards 
 * Hong Deok-young (1948–1954)
 * Lee Se-yeon (1966–1973)
 * Lee Woon-jae (1994–2010)
 * Kim Jung-nam (1964–1973)
 * Kim Ho (1966–1972)
 * Hong Myung-bo (1990–2002)
 * Lee Young-pyo (1999–2011)
 * Kim Yong-sik (1948–1950)
 * Huh Jung-moo (1974–1986)
 * Lee Young-moo (1975–1981)
 * Cho Kwang-rae (1977–1986)
 * Park Chang-sun (1979–1986)
 * Park Ji-sung (2000–2011)
 * Lee Hoe-taik (1966–1977)
 * Cha Bum-kun (1972–1986)
 * Choi Soon-ho (1980–1991)
 * Kim Joo-sung (1985–1996)

Individual records
Players in bold are still active with South Korea.

Competitive record
Champions Runners-up Third place Tournament played on home soil

Summer Olympics

 * Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since 1992.

Asian Games

 * Football at the Asian Games has been an under-23 tournament since 2002.

Head-to-head record
The following table shows South Korea's head-to-head record, correct as of 11 June 2024.

Intercontinental

 * Afro-Asian Cup of Nations
 * [[File:Med 1.png]] Champions: 1987

Continental

 * AFC Asian Cup
 * [[File:Med 1.png]] Champions: 1956, 1960
 * [[File:Med 2.png]] Runners-up: 1972, 1980, 1988, 2015
 * [[File:Med 3.png]] Third place: 1964, 2000, 2007, 2011


 * Asian Games
 * [[File:Med 1.png]] Gold medalists: 1970, 1978, 1986
 * [[File:Med 2.png]] Silver medalists: 1954, 1958, 1962
 * [[File:Med 3.png]] Bronze medalists: 1990

Regional

 * EAFF Championship
 * [[File:Med 1.png]] Champions: 2003, 2008, 2015, 2017, 2019
 * [[File:Med 2.png]] Runners-up: 2010, 2022
 * [[File:Med 3.png]] Third place: 2013

Minor competitions

 * Korea Cup: 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1991, 1997
 * Merdeka Tournament: 1960, 1965, 1967, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1978
 * King's Cup: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1998
 * Jakarta Anniversary Tournament: 1981
 * Dynasty Cup: 1990
 * LG Cup: 2000 (Iran), 2001 (Egypt), 2006 (Saudi Arabia)

Other awards

 * FIFA World Cup Most Entertaining Team: 2002
 * AFC National Team of the Year: 2002, 2009
 * EAFF Championship Fair Play Award: 2008
 * AFC Asian Cup Fair Play Award: 2011