South Korea arrive at the 2026 World Cup as Asia's most consistent footballing nation, making their 12th appearance overall and their 11th in succession, a streak that began in 1986 and has never been broken. Their defining moment remains 2002, joint hosted with Japan, when they became the first Asian team to reach a World Cup semifinal, defeating Portugal, Italy, and Spain along the way before finishing fourth. No Asian nation has matched that run since.

South Korea secured their place at the 2026 tournament through the AFC third round, drawn into Group B alongside Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, and Palestine. They were the standout side, going unbeaten across all ten matches with six wins and four draws, accumulating 22 points and finishing top. The campaign was settled with a match to spare: on 06/05/25 in Basra, they defeated Iraq two goals to nil and confirmed their berth before the final round of fixtures even kicked off, a composed end to a dominant qualifying run.