The South Korea national football team (; recognized as Korea Republic by FIFA) represents South Korea in men's international football and is governed by the Korea Football Association, a member of FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
South Korea has emerged as a major football power in Asia since the 1980s, having participated in eleven consecutive and twelve 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 has 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.
History
Team image 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 the home color, paired with black shorts.
South Korea used to wear the country's 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.
Kit suppliers Kit supplier Period NotesAdidas, Asics, Kolon Sports, Pro-Specs, Weekend1977–1986 South Korea contracted with Adidas as their first official kit sponsor, but they did not have an exclusive kit sponsor at that time. (Weekend)1987–1995 Signed a long-term contract with Weekend (renamed Rapido in January 1988) in 1987.Nike1996–present Contracted at the end of 1995, and sponsored since 1 January 1996.
Kit deals Kit supplier Period Contract date Contract duration Total Annual Ref. Nike 1996–present 1996–1997$3 million$1.5 million16 December 19971998–2002$38 million$7.6 million9 January 20032003–2007$50 million$10.0 million23 October 20072008–2011$49 million$12.3 million13 January 20122012–2019$120 million$15.0 million 2020–2031$204 million$17.0 million
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 17 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. Although the teams played against each other only once in the final match of the 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 (), followed by five claps.
The phenomenon of fans publicly gathering outside stadiums to watch matches together was first observed by FIFA during the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan, which later inspired the official FIFA Fan Fest, introduced at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
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.
2025
2026
2027
All-time results
+Results by decadeYearMatches1948–1959Matches1960–1969Matches1970–1979Matches1980–1989Matches1990–1999Matches2000–2009Matches2010–2019Matches2020–presentMatchesTotal—
Coaching staff
+ Current coaching staffPositionCoachInterim manager Robert MorenoAssistant coach Eduardo DocampoCoaches Jasint Magrina Víctor Bravo Cho Yong-hyungGoalkeeping coach Nico BoschFitness coaches Javier Chocarro Lee Jae-hong
Players Current squad The following players were called up to the friendly matches against Ecuador, Uruguay, Venezuela and Uzbekistan, held between 24 September and 6 October 2026. Caps and goals updated as of 6 October 2026, after the match against Uzbekistan.
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 PRE = Preliminary squad
Hall of Fame
The following players were inducted into the official Hall of Fame.
Individual records
Players in bold are still active with South Korea.
Most appearances
RankPlayerCapsGoalsCareer1Son Heung-min151592010–present2Cha Bum-kun13658Hong Myung-bo136101990–20024Lee Woon-jae13301994–20105Lee Young-pyo12751999–20116Kim Ho-kon12451971–19797Yoo Sang-chul122181994–20058Cho Young-jeung11311975–19869Kim Young-gwon11272010–202410Ki Sung-yueng110102008–2019Lee Jae-sung110152015–present
Top goalscorers RankPlayerGoalsCapsRatioCareer1Son Heung-min591512010–present2Cha Bum-kun581363Hwang Sun-hong501031988–20024Park Lee-chun36891969–19745Kim Jae-han33571972–1979Lee Dong-gook331051998–20177Choi Soon-ho301031980–19918Kim Do-hoon29721994–2003Huh Jung-moo29841974–198610Choi Yong-soo27671995–2003Lee Tae-ho27721980–1991Kim Jin-kook27941972–1978
Competitive record Champions Runners-up Third place Tournament played on home soil
FIFA World Cup
Summer Olympics Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since 1992.
Summer Olympics recordQualification recordYearRoundSquad1900 to 1908Part of the Korean EmpirePart of the Korean Empire1912 to 1936Part of JapanPart of Japan 1948Quarter-finals2101515SquadDirectly qualified 1952Did not enterDid not enter 1956Did not qualify210122 1960420244 1964Group stage3003120Squad421174 1968Did not qualify5410175 19724301162 19766321105 19806402166 1984115331911 1988Group stage302112SquadQualified as hosts1992 to presentEntered with the under-23 teamEntered with the under-23 teamTotal812573742247119139
AFC Asian Cup
Asian Games Football at the Asian Games has been an under-23 tournament since 2002.
Asian Games recordYearRoundSquad 1951Did not enter 1954Silver medalists41211512Squad 1958Silver medalists5401156Squad 1962Silver medalists540195Squad 1966First round200204Squad 1970Gold medalists632153Squad 1974Second round5113410Squad 1978Gold medalists7610153Squad 1982Group stage310243Squad 1986Gold medalists6420143Squad 1990Bronze medalists6501181Squad 1994Fourth place6303177Squad 1998Quarter-finals6402126Squad2002 to presentEntered with the under-23 teamTotal613681712863
EAFF Championship EAFF Championship recordYearRoundSquad 2003Champions321041Squad 2005Fourth place302112Squad 2008Champions312054Squad 2010Runners-up320184Squad 2013Third place302112Squad 2015Champions312031Squad 2017Champions321073Squad 2019Champions330040Squad 2022Runners-up320163Squad 2025Runners-up320151SquadTotal30151054421
Other competitions CompetitionRoundSquad 2000 CONCACAF Gold CupGroup stage202022Squad 2001 FIFA Confederations CupGroup stage320136Squad 2002 CONCACAF Gold CupFourth place502337Squad
Head-to-head record The following table shows South Korea's head-to-head record, correct as of 6 October 2026.
Team (list) (list) (list) (list)Total
Honours
Intercontinental Afro-Asian Cup of Nations Champions: 1987
Continental AFC Asian Cup Champions: 1956, 1960 Runners-up: 1972, 1980, 1988, 2015 Third place: 1964, 2000, 2007, 2011
Asian Games Gold medalists: 1970, 1978, 1986 Silver medalists: 1954, 1958, 1962 Bronze medalists: 1990
Regional EAFF Championship Champions: 2003, 2008, 2015, 2017, 2019 Runners-up: 2010, 2022, 2025 Third place: 2013
Friendly 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)
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
See also Football in South Korea South Korea national under-20 football team South Korea national under-17 football team
References
External links
of the Korea Football Association Korea Republic at FIFA Korea Republic at AFC