Son Heung-min has the chance to break the historic goalscoring record for the South Korean national team.
Striker Son Heung-min has the opportunity to surpass legend Cha Bum-kun to become the greatest goalscorer in South Korean national team history at the 2026 World Cup.
Ahead of their opening match at the 2026 World Cup against the Czech Republic, the focus of South Korean football is on Son Heung-min. The MLS star not only shoulders the responsibility of leading the attack but is also on the verge of becoming the all-time leading goalscorer for the national team.
The record-breaking hunt of legend Cha Bum-kun
Currently, Son Heung-min has 56 goals in 144 international matches, ranking second on the list of the greatest goalscorers in South Korean football history. His goal is to surpass the 58-goal mark currently held by legend Cha Bum-kun (nicknamed "Cha Boom"), who was once a star player for Bayer Leverkusen.
To officially surpass his predecessor, Son needs to score at least three more goals in the group stage of this year's World Cup. This is no small challenge, but it is entirely achievable given the form of the striker born in 1992. To date, only three players in South Korean football history have surpassed the 50-goal mark: Cha Bum-kun, Son Heung-min, and former striker Hwang Sun-hong (50 goals).
A new position in the American professional league.
Notably, Son Heung-min is participating in this World Cup in a different capacity after concluding a successful career at Tottenham Hotspur. He left London as a Europa League champion, a title the English club had waited over four decades for. Currently, the striker is a rising star playing for LAFC in the MLS (USA).
Kick-off of the 2026 World Cup campaign.
According to the schedule, the South Korean team will begin their journey in Group A with a match against the Czech Republic. Although the European representative possesses a disciplined playing style and many quality individuals, they are still considered a suitable opponent for Son Heung-min to score the opening goal, creating momentum for the record-breaking race.
In this group, the drama began right from the opening match when host nation Mexico secured a convincing 2-0 victory over South Africa. This result put considerable pressure on the remaining teams in the group as they competed for a place in the knockout round.
