Kim Tae-Hyeon

Out for opener, possibly group stage

Tae-Hyeon is out for Thursday's World Cup opener against Czechia and could miss the entire tournament, according to Korea Football News.

Analysis: Tae-Hyeon is heading into the World Cup with some unfortunate news, as the defender will miss their opener due to an ankle injury. However, this is not the worst of the news, as he could miss the entire group stage as well. This is a major blow for the team, as he was likely to earn a starting role, leaving Lee Gi-Hyuk to potentially fill his spot. If Tae-Hyeon does miss the group stage, he will have to hope his team can finish top 2 or be one of the best third-place teams in Group A to get his chance at playing at the 2026 World Cup, facing Czechia, Mexico and South Africa in their group.