Former Vancouver Whitecaps player steals the show for South Korea at FIFA World Cup
Former Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Hwang In-Beom was the star of the show on the opening day of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The South Korean was named Player of the Match after his country’s thrilling 2-1 win over Czechia in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Thursday. The 29-year-old from Daejeon scored in the 67th minute to level the score 1-1, showing incredible poise under pressure.
Goal from @WhitecapsFC legend Hwang In-Beom š°š· pic.twitter.com/zZBwHN9XhW
— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) June 12, 2026
Hwang set upĀ teammate Oh Hyeon-gyu for the winning goal 13 minutes later.
OH HYUN-GYU GIVES KOREA REPUBLIC THE LEAD LATE IN THE MATCH! pic.twitter.com/mEAtG34vVC
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 12, 2026
“I am happy,” Hwang told reporters after the match (translated from Korean). “Everyone congratulated me with one heart and thanked me, and I am also very grateful to my teammates for this match.”
This is Hwang’s second World Cup, as he also represented South Korea at Qatar in 2022, but his first goal on the biggest stage.
“I couldn’t believe I was able to score such a goal on the World Cup stage… it was a proud moment.”
Remember him?
Hwang In-Beom played two seasons in Vancouver (@WhitecapsFC/X)
Hwang joined the Whitecaps as a 22-year-old in 2019. He appeared in 39 matches over two seasons, leaving the club after the pandemic started in 2020.
Since then, Hwang has bounced around, playing with Rubin Kazan (Russia), FC Seoul (Korea), Olympiacos (Greece), Red Star Belgrade (Serbia), and now Feyenoord (Netherlands).
Hwang and his Korean teammates will get an even tougher test when they play their second match of the tournament, against Mexico in Guadalajara on June 18.