How High Altitude Affects South Korea’s World Cup Squad: Insights from Son Heung-min

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[Sports Seoul | Gwanghwamun=Reporter Park Junbeom] “Son Heung-min (LAFC) said he felt worse after matches at high altitude.”

Head coach Hong Myung-bo unveiled South Korea’s 26-man World Cup roster for the 2026 tournament on the 16th at the Onmadang of the KT West Building in Gwanghwamun, Seoul. Jo Wi-je, Kang Sang-yun and Yoon Ki-uk will travel as training partners.

The squad departs on the 18th for its base camp in Salt Lake City, which sits at roughly 1,460 m (4,790 ft) above sea level. Guadalajara, where Korea will play its first two group-stage matches, is higher still at 1,571 m (5,155 ft). Managing the effects of altitude will be Hong’s biggest concern.

One player already familiar with altitude is captain Son Heung-min. Son saw extensive high-elevation action during LAFC’s run in the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup, including tough road trips across Mexico. He faced Cruz Azul in the quarterfinals, with the Puebla match played at about 2,160 m (7,087 ft) and the Toluca semifinal at roughly 2,670 m (8,761 ft).

Hong flew to Los Angeles to debrief Son and get a firsthand read on those conditions. “We focused our preparations on the variable of high altitude,” Hong said. “After the quarterfinal I spoke with him directly. He told me the matches were taxing and that he felt even worse after the games. We won’t face quite those elevations, but exposing players and helping them adapt is important. We’ll relay his experience to the squad.”

The same cautious approach will guide training in Salt Lake. “Salt Lake sits at about 1,500 m, so we’ll closely monitor players’ conditions and won’t run intense sessions right away,” Hong said. “Responses will differ by player. European-based players should be able to resume harder training after two to three days.” beom2@sportsseoul.com