Seoul: With South Korea having qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, now comes the hard part for head coach Hong Myung-bo. The big tournament is about a year away, and Hong will be dealing with some delicate lineup decisions, including how to handle the apparent decline of longtime captain Son Heung-min.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Son, who will turn 33 in July, is no longer the deadly offensive threat he once was. He is coming off one of his least productive seasons with Tottenham Hotspur, having managed only seven goals in the Premier League - his fewest since he scored four times in his first Spurs season in 2015-16. Son was hampered by hamstring and foot injuries during this past season, but even when healthy, he didn't do enough to quiet skeptics who felt he had lost a step. Unless Son enjoys a renaissance next season, leaning on him to lead the South Korean offense at the World Cup may be a dicey proposition. Hong will have to prepare viable alternative plans up front and will also have to hope for the continued growth of attackers in the late teens or early 20s, such as Yang Min-hyeok of Queens Park Rangers, Bae Jun-ho of Stoke City, Oh Hyeon-gyu of KRC Genk, and Yang Hyun-jun of Celtic FC.

The 2026 tournament will be Son's fourth and likely final World Cup. He is tied with retired stars Ahn Jung-hwan and Park Ji-sung for most World Cup goals by a South Korean player with three.

Then there's the lingering injury question mark for Bayern Munich center back Kim Min-jae, undoubtedly South Korea's most valuable defender. Slowed by Achilles tendinitis this past season, Kim was dropped from the national team just before two World Cup qualifying matches in March and did not get called up for the two matches scheduled for June.

Achilles injuries are notorious for their lengthy recovery process and risks of recurrence, and it will be imperative for South Korea to have a fully healthy version of Kim to have any chance of reaching the knockouts.

Another Europe-based star for South Korea, Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), gradually lost his playing time with the reigning UEFA Champions League winners. He did not play in PSG's last five Champions League matches.

With the World Cup kicking off soon after the European club seasons, it will be far from ideal if national team mainstays end up riding the pine next season. It will bear watching if Lee will join a new team that could give him more minutes during the summer transfer window.

Thanks to his playmaking chops, Lee is an integral part of South Korea's offense, a rare talent who can create scoring chances even with little opening.

Hong must also find a stable partner for defensive midfielder Hwang In-beom. The 35-year-old Jung Woo-young used to be Hwang's main sidekick, but he hasn't been called up for international duty since September last year. Park Yong-woo has had some looks next to Hwang lately but has been mistake-prone there.

An improbable march to the semifinals as a co-host of the 2002 World Cup remains South Korea's best performance at football's showpiece event. South Korea made it as far as the round of 16 in 2010 and 2022.

Next year, with the tournament expanded to 48 nations for the first time, the knockout phase will begin with the round of 32 - the top two teams from each of 12 groups, plus the eight best third-place teams.