South Korea

South Korea, known as the Taegeuk Warriors, are Asia's most World Cup-experienced side with 12 appearances and the continent's best-ever finish — fourth place on home soil in 2002 — and remain a perennial contender under the leadership of captain Son Heung-min. Coached by Hong Myung-bo, they have won the AFC Asian Cup twice and the EAFF Championship five times.

Football arrived on the Korean peninsula in the late 19th century, and the Korea Football Association was established in 1948, the same year the newly formed national team made its international debut at the London Olympics — defeating Mexico 5–3 in their first ever match. South Korea went on to become the first Asian nation to appear at a FIFA World Cup, taking part in the 1954 tournament in Switzerland, though they were beaten heavily in both group matches.

The early decades of competition brought continental success: back-to-back AFC Asian Cup titles in 1956 and 1960 established Korea as one of Asia's leading footballing nations. However, the program endured a lengthy wait before returning to the World Cup finals, missing out entirely between 1958 and 1982 before qualifying for four consecutive tournaments from 1986 onward.

The defining moment in South Korean football came at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted with Japan, when a passionate home side defeated Portugal, Spain and Germany on the way to a historic fourth-place finish — the best result ever achieved by an Asian team. That breakthrough energised the sport domestically, and in the decades since, a steady pipeline of players to top European leagues — led most prominently by Tottenham Hotspur and Bayer Leverkusen's Son Heung-min — has kept South Korea among Asia's elite and a consistent presence at the World Cup.