'Son Heung-min cup' sells for 10 times its price — but not in South Korea

The Son Heung-min limited-edition cup, part of McDonald's World Cup meal set released worldwide to mark the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America. [Newsis]

McDonald's limited-edition World Cup cups featuring South Korea captain Son Heung-min of LA FC have become a hot commodity on the secondhand market — but fans in South Korea cannot buy them locally. McDonald's Korea chose not to include the Son cup in its domestic lineup, and soccer fans who obtained the cup abroad are now reselling it at roughly 10 times the original price, fueling frustration among supporters at home.

According to the retail industry on Tuesday, McDonald's launched its "FIFA World Cup Meal Set" earlier this month, ahead of the tournament's kickoff.

Customers who purchase the set meal receive, at random, a reusable cup printed with the image of one of eight global soccer stars or McDonald's character Grimace.

The lineup features retired legends David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho, alongside active players Lamine Yamal (Spain), Son Heung-min (South Korea), Christian Pulisic (United States), Alphonso Davies (Canada) and Santiago Gimenez (Mexico).

The Son cup features his signature "camera celebration" pose and a white tiger motif symbolizing the South Korean national team.

Soccer fans living or traveling abroad have been buying the set meal at McDonald's locations overseas in hopes of landing the Son cup.

[Captured from McDonald's YouTube channel]

McDonald's Korea left Son off the list when it rolled out the World Cup set at more than 400 stores nationwide on June 11. The domestic version — a Big Mac set with one reusable World Cup cup priced at 8,900 won — includes only five designs: Beckham, Henry, Ronaldinho, Lamine Yamal and others, with no Son cup among them.

Industry observers believe Son's absence stems from his existing endorsement deals with several South Korean food and beverage brands. He currently serves as a brand ambassador for Mega MGC Coffee, Domino's Pizza and Lotte Wellfood's World Cone ice cream, among others.

With the Son cup unavailable domestically, cups obtained overseas have been flooding secondhand platforms, and a shortage has sent prices soaring.

On the secondhand platform Karrot, listings for the Son cup have appeared at 90,000 won ($59), while prices on Joonggonara range from 40,000 won to 70,000 won.

Frustrated fans have taken to online communities and social media, posting comments such as "You can't buy a Korean player's cup in Korea" and "I'm looking into overseas direct purchases just to get the Son cup."

Whether the cup will go on sale in South Korea remains unclear. McDonald's Korea is considering a second release of the World Cup set after the first batch sold out, but no specific schedule or product lineup has been announced.

yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com