Fox Sports released the first slice of its 2026 FIFA World Cup player rankings on the 8th in Korean time, placing Son Heung-min 81st and Kim Min-jae 98th in the 100th to 76th range. The outlet has not yet unveiled the players ranked 75th and above.
Son was listed ahead of Jeremy Frimpong and Reece James, but behind Jules Koundé, Christian Pulisic, Arda Güler and Viktor Gyökeres. Kim was placed ahead of Feris Estupiñán and Alexander Isak, while Bradley Barcola and Lisandro Martínez were ranked above him.
Dani Olmo was the highest-ranked player in the group Fox Sports has released so far, and Kaoru Mitoma came in 94th. The rankings are tied to next year’s tournament in North, Central America and the Caribbean, where 48 nations will each name 26-player squads for a total of 1,248 players, though final rosters have not yet been announced.
More rankings are scheduled to be released sequentially, meaning the early placements for Son and Kim are only the opening marker in a much larger list. For now, though, the numbers offer a first look at how one major outlet sees two of South Korea’s biggest names entering a World Cup that is already expanding in scale before a ball is kicked.
