Cho Wi-je played in the second division of South Korea a year ago. Now he heads to the World Cup after being called up as a late injury replacement.
The 24-year-old defender has been included in South Korea’s squad after Cho Yu-min was ruled out with a foot injury following Saturday’s 5-0 friendly win over Trinidad and Tobago.
Cho Wi-je was already with the squad as a training partner and now he is in contention to play against South Korean opponents in Group A, South Africa, Czech Republic and co-hos Mexico.
Having played for Busan IPark in the K League 2 until January this year, he was still trying to make sense of his meteoric rise when he spoke to reporters on Monday.
“If someone had told me last year that I would go to the World Cup in 2026, I would never have believed it,” he said at the team’s training camp in Utah. This feels like a dream.”
Cho joined South Korean champions Jeonbuk at the beginning of this year and impressed in his first taste of top-flight football.
He is now in the national team alongside Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich, the central defender who has been playing at the highest level in Europe for years and has almost 80 caps to his name for his country.
“He has so much experience competing against top European players and I want him to reflect on that,” Cho said.
“Min-jae is so much faster than most players, and I have to be quicker on my feet to reach that level.”
Cho got his chance after Cho Yu-min’s World Cup dream ended less than two weeks before their World Cup opener against the Czechs on June 11.
“Yu-min played such an important role in qualifying for the World Cup, and it was very difficult to see him leave,” Cho said.
“To fill his void, I just have to perform as best as I can.”
Published on June 2, 2026
