Squid Game actress Jung Ho-yeon makes surprise World Cup appearance
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South Korean actress Hoyeon and Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz carrying the 2026 World Cup trophy onto the pitch in a specially designed Louis Vuitton case.
PHOTO: AFP
- Jung Ho-yeon, Squid Game actress, made a surprise appearance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, carrying the trophy in a Louis Vuitton case alongside tennis star Carlos Alcaraz.
- She was chosen as a global ambassador for Louis Vuitton, which designed the official trophy trunk for the World Cup since 2010.
- BTS also performed at the final's halftime show, adapting their song "Dynamite" with soccer-themed lyrics, marking the first halftime show in a World Cup final.
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SEOUL – Actress Hoyeon, who starred in Netflix’s blockbuster series Squid Game, made an unexpected appearance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on July 19.
She is the first South Korean actor to participate in a World Cup final ceremony.
Ahead of the final match between Argentina and Spain at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Hoyeon, whose full name is Jung Ho-yeon, walked onto the pitch alongside Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz, carrying the World Cup trophy in a specially designed Louis Vuitton case.
The pair presented the trophy as part of the trophy trunk ceremony, a symbolic event in which the championship trophy is brought onto the field in a custom-made case and unveiled before kick-off.
Hoyeon was selected for the role because of her position as a global ambassador for Louis Vuitton, which produced the official trophy trunk for the 2026 tournament.
The French fashion house has created the World Cup trophy’s official travel case since the 2010 tournament in South Africa.
Hoyeon rose to global fame through her role as North Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok in Squid Game’s first season in 2021. The 32-year-old has since expanded her career across acting and fashion, starring in the psychological thriller series Disclaimer (2024) and South Korean sci-fi action thriller film Hope (2026), establishing herself as one of South Korea’s most prominent global stars.
She recently made her South Korean film debut in director Na Hong-jin’s Hope, playing a character named Seong-ae. The film surpassed two million admissions within three days of its release in South Korea, the fastest any film has reached the milestone in the country in 2026.
Although South Korea did not make it to the round of 32, South Korean stars still left their mark on the World Cup final.
While Hoyeon’s appearance came as a surprise, BTS took the stage in a highly anticipated performance as a co-headliner for the first half-time show ever held during a FIFA World Cup final.
The group performed their global hit Dynamite, adapting the lyrics to include soccer-themed phrases such as “kick the ball” and “a game of soccer”. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
