Why did the Korea Football Association hire Robert Moreno as temporary coach of South Korea’s men’s national team?

The KFA said it wanted Moreno to do more than win matches and specifically wanted him to change the mood of the national team. The appointment followed a shock group-stage exit from the FIFA World Cup and growing criticism of the team’s leadership.

What matches will Robert Moreno oversee before Korea appoints a full-time coach?

Moreno is set to lead six matches in total. Korea will face Ecuador, Uruguay, Venezuela and Uzbekistan in the coming windows, and the KFA plans to have a permanent head coach before the end of the year.

What led to Hong Myung-bo leaving the men’s national football team job?

Hong stepped down about two months earlier to take responsibility for South Korea’s disappointing World Cup campaign. He had already faced criticism over the KFA’s opaque hiring process, and the early World Cup exit intensified public backlash.

Interim boss for men's nat'l football team tasked with restoring fans' faith

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Summary

The Korea Football Association named Robert Moreno the temporary head coach of South Korea’s men’s national football team Tuesday and said it expects him to change the team’s mood after its World Cup collapse. The move comes after Hong Myung-bo resigned about two months earlier, following heavy criticism of his appointment and the team’s early exit. Moreno will lead Korea through six matches before a full-time coach is planned by year-end, with a possible extension through the Asian Cup.

Key Facts

The Korea Football Association said Moreno was hired through Nov. 27 and may stay on through the Asian Cup depending on results in his first six matches.
Korea will host Ecuador on Sept. 24, Uruguay on Sept. 28, Venezuela on Oct. 2 and Uzbekistan on Oct. 6, then play two more matches during the FIFA window from Nov. 9 to 17.
The Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup begins in January in Saudi Arabia, and the KFA wants a full-time head coach in place before the end of the year.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 1, 2026 2:51 pm KST

This 2022 file photo shows Robert Moreno, former coach of Spain's Granada football team. Moreno is now appointed as temporary head coach of the Korean men's national football team. EPA-Yonhap

When announcing its hiring of Spanish tactician Robert Moreno as the temporary head coach of the men's national football team Tuesday, the Korea Football Association (KFA) said it wanted him to do more than just win matches.

The KFA specifically said it wanted Moreno to "change the mood of the national team."

That is the bar for the 48-year-old Moreno, the former Spain men's national team boss who is taking over the much-criticized Korean team only weeks removed from a shocking group-stage exit from the FIFA World Cup.

Moreno's appointment comes about two months after Hong Myung-bo stepped down as head coach to hold himself accountable for that disappointing World Cup.

Hong had been an unpopular choice in the first place, with critics accusing the KFA of resorting to an unfair and opaque process to hire him in July 2024. Hong was often booed before and after national team matches at home, and the earlier-than-expected elimination from the World Cup was the nail in the coffin.

Mindful of public criticism of its previous hiring practices, the KFA conducted an open recruitment process this time, accepting applications from interested coaches during the summer before finalizing its talks with Moreno and his staff over the weekend.

The KFA chose not to rush to hire a full-time replacement for Hong. With the first post-World Cup match window set to open in September, the KFA instead chose to go with a caretaker boss to hold the fort over the next couple of months.

Korea will host Ecuador on Sept. 24, Uruguay on Sept. 28, Venezuela on Oct. 2 and Uzbekistan on Oct. 6. Then there will be two more matches scheduled during the next FIFA window, Nov. 9-17.

Korea may not win all six matches but at least showing more fight than they did at the World Cup will go a long way toward restoring fans' faith in the squad.

In the process, Moreno will help his own cause, too.

After the November matches, Korea will compete at the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup, kicking off in January in Saudi Arabia. The KFA's plan is to have a full-time head coach in place before the end of the year, with Moreno signed through Nov. 27.

However, the KFA said Moreno will be given a chance to stay on through the Asian Cup, depending on Korea's performance in his first six matches.

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