[Reuters]
[Reuters]

Fifteen countries that sent troops or medical support during the Korean War — including the United States, England and Canada — are competing in the 2026 North America World Cup, with their combined veterans numbering nearly 2 million.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs published a post on its official social media accounts Friday saying the 15 nations that provided combat or medical support during the Korean War and qualified for the tournament sent a combined 1,959,396 personnel to the peninsula.

"Countries that share a deep bond with Korea through their participation in the Korean War have advanced to the 2026 North America World Cup," the ministry said. "The nations that stood with us for Korea's freedom and peace — we meet them again on the World Cup stage."

The 12 combat-support nations and their troop contributions are: the United States (1,789,000), England (81,084), Scotland (81,084), Canada (26,791), Turkey (21,212), Australia (17,164), the Netherlands (5,322), Colombia (5,100), New Zealand (3,794), Belgium (3,498), France (3,421) and South Africa (826). The three medical-support nations are Norway (623), Sweden (1,124) and Germany (437).

England and Scotland served under the British Commonwealth during the war but compete as separate nations in the World Cup.

The ministry said the United States was the first UN member to deploy troops to Korea and contributed the largest contingent. Of those, 36,574 were killed in action, 92,134 were wounded, 3,737 went missing and 4,439 were taken prisoner.

Among the participating nations, South Africa was drawn into the same group as South Korea — Group A. The two sides will face off on June 25, the 76th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, at Monterrey Stadium in Monterrey, Mexico.

The ministry is running a World Cup cheering event through June 22 under the slogan "We Are UN Veterans! United Beyond Limits." Participants can enter by following the ministry's Instagram account, liking posts and leaving supportive comments, with small prizes on offer.

One user who joined the event wrote that seeing the news about UN veteran nations in the World Cup left them feeling both moved and grateful. "It feels truly meaningful that the countries that stood with Korea for its freedom and peace are meeting again on the World Cup stage," the user wrote, adding: "Regardless of the results, I sincerely cheer for every player from every country to give their best and put on a great match."

Another user wrote: "To the UN veterans and supporting nations who fought for Korea's freedom during the Korean War — we have not forgotten that precious bond. It is wonderful to meet again on the peaceful stage of the World Cup."

Other comments included: "I hope this becomes a meaningful time to share friendship and unity once more through sport," "Thank you to all the veterans," and "Go USA — the first to arrive and the greatest help of all."

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2026 국제축구연맹(FIFA) 북중미 월드컵이 12일 개막한 가운데, 출전국가부터 참가 선수, 득점수 등 월드컵 대회와 관련한 흥미로운 숫자들이 눈길을 끈다. 이번 대회는 캐
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