How many goals has Son Heung-min scored for Korea, and what record did he set?

Son has scored 59 goals for the national team, a record total. He moved ahead of former striker Cha Bum-kun during Korea’s October match against Uzbekistan, and was seeking his first goal against Saudi Arabia in his third match against them.

What is the Korea Football Association considering for Robert Moreno after the Asian Cup was postponed?

Moreno’s contract runs through Nov. 27. The Korea Football Association may let it expire at the end of November and take more time to appoint a full-time coach, after the Asian Cup was moved to December 2027.

Nat'l football team looking to turn page in friendly vs. Saudi Arabia

Q: What did the five Korea national team players say about their reported rift before the Saudi Arabia friendly?

Son Heung-min, Lee Jae-sung, Hwang Hee-chan, Hwang In-beom and Kim Min-jae issued a joint statement Thursday saying they had put their differences behind them. They said they were ready to pursue the shared goal of rewarding loyal fans with good performances.

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Summary

Korea will face Saudi Arabia at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, in its first of two friendlies there this week. The team’s five players involved in a reported rift said Thursday they had put their differences behind them. Korea will play Qatar on Tuesday in its final matches of 2026, while temporary coach Robert Moreno’s contract is due to expire at the end of November. The Asian Cup has been postponed to December 2027.

Key Facts

Korea is ranked No. 32 in the world, while Saudi Arabia is ranked 55th.
Son Heung-min has scored a national-team record 59 goals, moving ahead of Cha Bum-kun during the October match against Uzbekistan.
The 19-year-old midfielder Son Jeong-beom and 21-year-old defender Shin Min-ha could make their senior international debuts during the Qatar trip.
The Korea Football Association initially scheduled the friendlies to prepare for the Asian Cup, which had been set to begin in January in Saudi Arabia.
The Asian Football Confederation postponed the tournament to December 2027 amid attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

By Yonhap

Published Nov 12, 2026 11:36 am KST

Son Heung-min, left, of the South Korean men's national football team is surrounded by teammates during a training session at Qatar University in Doha, Wednesday. Yonhap

The men's national football team will try to turn the page from a recent rift as they take on Saudi Arabia this week in the first of two friendly matches in Qatar.

With the temporary head coach Robert Moreno in charge, world No. 32 Korea will play 55th-ranked Saudi Arabia at 5:30 p.m. Friday (11:30 p.m. Friday in Korea) at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Al Rayyan, just west of Doha. Korea will next face Qatar in Doha on Tuesday.

The Saudi Arabia match will be Korea's first since their 2-0 win over Uzbekistan on Oct. 6. In that game's immediate aftermath, three players, Hwang In-beom, Hwang Hee-chan and Kim Min-jae, reportedly threatened to retire from international play because they had been frustrated with the team's leadership group, led by longtime captain Son Heung-min.

After weeks of rumors on their friction, the five players issued a joint statement Thursday, saying they had put their differences behind them, and they were now ready to pursue their common goal of rewarding loyal fans with good performances.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) had scheduled the two matches in November in preparation for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, initially scheduled to kick off in January. However, the AFC recently postponed the tournament to December 2027 amid attacks on the host country by Yemen's Houthi rebels.

The focus will now shift to moving on from the controversy and finishing the year on a high note as the two matches in Qatar will be the final ones for Korea in 2026.

Son, who has received a vote of confidence from Moreno as skipper, will try to add to his national team record total of 59 international goals. Son broke a tie with former striker Cha Bum-kun during the Uzbekistan match in October and will now look for his first goal against Saudi Arabia in his third match against them.

It will also bear watching if the two new young faces, the 19-year-old midfielder Son Jeong-beom and the 21-year-old defender Shin Min-ha, will make their senior international debut during this Qatar trip.

The clock is ticking on Moreno's tenure. Back in September, the KFA signed him through Nov. 27, asking him to hold down the fort for six friendly matches — two each in September, October and November — before it could name a full-time bench boss for the Asian Cup.

The KFA did give Moreno a chance to stay on through the Asian Cup, depending on Korea's performances in the six matches. However, with the Asian Cup now pushed back to the end of next year, the KFA may simply let Moreno's contract expire at the end of November and take its time appointing the new head coach.

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