K League Winning Coach Poyet May Take Interim Charge of South Korea's National Team

The South Korea men’s national football team, which has been left without a head coach after being eliminated in the group stage of the 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup in North and Central America, has begun the process of appointing an interim manager. As former Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Football Club coach Gus Poyet, who led the club to a domestic double last season, has formally applied through the public recruitment process, attention in the football world is focused on who will be chosen to steady Korean football in crisis.
According to football sources on the 12th, the Korea Football Association (KFA) closed applications on the afternoon of the 9th for the public recruitment of an interim head coach and coaching staff to lead the national team during the International 'A' Match windows scheduled from September to November. The association plans to form an evaluation committee this week with some members of its technical committee and outside experts, then review the candidates' suitability and conduct online interviews next week before finalizing the interim appointment within this month.
The strongest candidate in the public recruitment process is former coach Poyet. On the 11th, Poyet said he had applied through the official hiring process and was waiting for the association's decision. He has extensive experience coaching Brighton & Hove Albion, Sunderland AFC, Real Betis, FC Girondins de Bordeaux, and the Greece national team. He is also regarded as highly familiar with Korean football after leading Jeonbuk to both the K League 1 title and the Korea Cup last year.
Overseas media have also given significant attention to the possibility of Poyet taking the job. On the 10th, Japan's Sponichi Annex cited multiple sources as saying, "With the Korea Football Association expected to complete the selection of an interim coach in August, Poyet's appointment is effectively certain," and reported that he would lead the six International 'A' Matches to be played from September to November. Although the KFA has kept the application status confidential, foreign media are also treating him as the leading candidate.
By contrast, the chances of a domestic coach taking over are seen as relatively low. That is because the team suffered a devastating group-stage exit at the North and Central America World Cup, and the new coach must also assemble a full specialist staff of at least five and up to seven members in advance, making it difficult for a local candidate to step in on short notice.
Korean football is now facing an unprecedented crisis both on and off the field. Following the resignation of former coach Hong Myung-bo after the World Cup failure, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee of the National Assembly held a hearing, police raided the KFA, and allegations of past misconduct involving referees have also surfaced, leaving the association's administration effectively paralyzed. With the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia only months away, even appointing a permanent coach has become difficult.
As a result, the burden on the interim head coach to be selected this time is even greater. The national team under an interim setup will begin with friendlies against Ecuador on Sept. 24 and Uruguay on Sept. 28, followed by matches against Venezuela on Oct. 2 and Uzbekistan on Oct. 6.
If Poyet or another new head coach stabilizes the team with strong leadership in the International 'A' Match friendlies from September to November, there is also cautious speculation that the contract could be extended through the 2027 AFC Asian Cup or that the interim coach could be promoted to the permanent role.
As the KFA says it will pursue greater procedural fairness and transparency, fans are watching closely to see who will become the rescue figure to lift Korean football from the brink.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter