South Korea beat Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 in a World Cup warm-up friendly on May 30, 2026, in Utah as part of their preparation for the World Cup finals [1, 2, 3, 4]. Son Heung-min scored twice, ending a personal goal drought since November 2025 when he opened the scoring around the 39th or 40th minute and followed with a penalty three minutes later to give South Korea a 2-0 lead at half-time [1, 2, 3, 4].
Other goals came from Hwang Hee-chan, who added one, and Cho Gue-sung, who scored twice to complete the 5-0 rout [1, 2, 3, 4]. This match marked Son's 56th international goal in 144 appearances, leaving him just two goals short of South Korea’s all-time record held by Cha Bum-kun [1, 2, 3, 4]. Son, 33, currently plays for MLS club Los Angeles FC but had not scored for them this season prior to this match [1, 2, 3, 4].
Reflecting on the win, Son said, "Regardless of opponents, it's not easy to win 5-0. So I hope people don't take this for granted. The players deserve credit, and I think we're moving in the right direction." He also noted, "I think our confidence may have been low after losing twice in March (to Ivory Coast and Austria), and we will try to build on this and keep the momentum going." Son emphasized that scoring is not always the most important aspect, adding, "Making sacrifices for the team and doing whatever the team needs is my favourite thing to do, something that I've valued more than anything throughout my career." [1]
South Korea is drawn in Group A alongside Mexico, South Africa, and the Czech Republic for the 2026 World Cup. The team will open their campaign against the Czech Republic on June 11, 2026, in Guadalajara [1, 2, 3, 4]. The friendly was played at South Korea's World Cup training camp in either Provo or Salt Lake City, Utah [1, 2, 3, 4].
