Former South Korea Coach Paulo Bento Expresses Informal Interest but Submits No Application

Paulo Bento has expressed interest in coaching the South Korean men's national football team again, a Korea Football Association official said Tuesday. Bento conveyed the interest through a KFA employee he knows, the official said. The federation has not received any formal application.

Bento coached South Korea from August 2018 to December 2022. He remains the longest-serving head coach in the program's history for either the men's or women's team. South Korea recorded 35 wins, 13 draws and nine losses during his tenure and reached the round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar before losing 4-1 to Brazil.

Bento told reporters after that match that the KFA had offered him a new contract in February 2022 but that he chose to depart after the tournament. The position became vacant when Hong Myung-bo resigned on June 28. Hong stepped down to take responsibility for South Korea's elimination from the group stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

He had been under contract through the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia. The KFA's National Teams Committee held its first meeting since the resignation last Friday.