Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min headlined South Korea's preliminary 28-man World Cup squad unveiled Monday, as coach Shin Tae-yong included 12 defenders in an attempt to plug leaks at the back.

Spurs star Son was named along with Ki Sung-yueng of Swansea City, just relegated from the English Premier League, and FC Augsburg's Koo Ja-cheol as Shin rolled out his Europe-based senior players.

The Taeguk Warriors reached the semi-finals when South Korea co-hosted the 2002 World Cup, but they struggled in qualifying and have been drawn against Sweden, Mexico and holders Germany in a tough Group F.

Top-rated Son scored 18 goals in all competitions this term for Spurs, who finished third in the Premier League to secure another season of Champions League football.

In one surprise pick, Shin also included Hellas Verona's uncapped Lee Seung-woo among his initial 28, to be cut to 23 by June 4.

The former Barcelona trainee's club has been relegated from Serie A, but the 20-year-old midfielder will have a chance to impress in home friendlies against Honduras on May 28 and Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 1.

Shin included no fewer than 12 defenders in his preliminary squad, as he bemoaned injuries plaguing him at the back.

In the 14 matches since Shin was appointed last July after the sacking of German Uli Stielike, the team have scored 20 and conceded 19.

"There is a reason why I picked so many defenders," Shin told reporters in Seoul.

"At this moment, forming our defence line is the most difficult part for me. There were things that I wanted to do with our defence, but I think I can't do it."

Only nine players remain from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, when the team went out in the group stage.

Provisional squad (club KOR unless stated)

Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-gyu (Vissel Kobe/JPN), Kim Jin-hyeon (Cerezo Osaka/JPN), Cho Hyun-woo (Daegu FC)

Defenders: Kim Young-gwon (Guangzhou Evergrande/CHN), Jang Hyun-soo (FC Tokyo/JPN), Jung Seung-hyun (Sagan Tosu/JPN), Yun Yong-sun (Seongnam FC), Kwon Kyung-won (Tianjin Quanjian/CHN), Oh Ban-suk (Jeju United), Kim Jin-su (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Kim Min-woo (Sangju Sangmu), Park Joo-ho (Ulsan Hyundai), Hong Chul (Sangju Sangmu), Go Yo-han (FC Seoul), Lee Yong (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors)

Midfielders: Ki Sung-yueng (Swansea City/WAL), Jung Woo-young (Vissel Kobe/JPN), Kwon Chang-hoon (Dijon FCO/FRA), Ju Se-jong (Asan Mugunghwa FC), Koo Ja-cheol (FC Augsburg/AUT), Lee Jae-sung (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Lee Seung-woo (Hellas Verona/ITA), Moon Seon-min (Incheon United), Lee Chung-yong (Crystal Palace/ENG)

Forwards: Kim Shin-wook (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG), Hwang Hee-chan (FC Red Bull Salzburg/AUT), Lee Keun-ho (Gangwon FC)

Iran World Cup squad includes stars banned for Israel match

AFP, Terhran

Iran announced its squad for the 2018 World Cup late Sunday, with two midfield stars making the cut despite being banned last year for playing against an Israeli team.

Masoud Shojaei and Ehsan Haji Safi were among the 35 players announced by Iran's Football Federation on its website.

Sports officials said last August that Shojaei, 33, and Haji Safi, 28, would be banned for life after appearing for their Greek club Panionios against an Israeli team.

Iran does not recognise the Jewish state and bars its athletes from appearing against Israelis.

But there was uproar from fans and confusion reigned over the issue, with Shojaei returning to the national squad in March and Haji Safi never actually banned.

Iran is unable to openly discuss the ban on facing Israelis because it breaches international sporting regulations.

There were no surprises in the rest of the squad, but Iranian fans will be pinning their hopes on 24-year-old winger and attacking midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who plays for The Netherlands' AZ Alkmaar.

This season, Jahanbakhsh became the first Asian player to become top scorer in a major European league, with 21 league goals.

Iran's national team has been coached the past seven years by Portugal's Carlos Queiroz, a former one-season manager at Real Madrid and an assistant to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

Team Melli faces a tough group in the World Cup, with Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

Iran had a strong run in qualifiers, becoming the first to book their place from the Asian Football Confederation.

Shojaei will be making a record third appearance for Iran at the World Cup.

He has remained vague about the Israel ban, but said in March he was pleased to return as "a soldier" for Team Melli.

Iran World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand (Persepolis), Seyed Hossein Hosseini (Esteghlal), Rashid Mazaheri (Zob Ahan), Amir Abedzadeh (Maritimo/POR)

Defenders: Ramin Rezaeian (Ostende/BEL), Voria Ghafouri (Esteghlal), Steven Beitashour (Los Angeles FC/USA), Seyed Jalal Hosseini (Persepolis), Mohammad Reza Khanzadeh (Padideh), Morteza Pouraliganji (Alsaad/QAT), Mohammad Ansari (Persepolis), Pejman Montazeri (Esteghlal), Seyed Majid Hosseini (Esteghlal), Milad Mohammadi (Akhmat Grozny/RUS), Omid Nourafkan (Esteghlal), Saeid AGhaei (Sepahan), Roozbeh Cheshmi (Esteghlal)

Midfielders: Saeid Ezatolahi (Amkar Perm/RUS), Masoud Shojaei (AEK Athens/GRE), Ahmad Abdolahzadeh (Foolad), Saman Ghoddos (Ostersunds/SWE), Mahdi Torabi (Saipa), Ashkan Dejagah (Notthingham Forest/ENG), Omid Ebrahimi (Esteghlal), Ehsan Hajsafi (Olympiacos/GRE), Ali Karimi (Sepahan), Soroush Rafiei (Al-khor/QAT), Ali Gholizadeh (Saipa), Vahid Amiri (Persepolis)

Forwards: Alireza Jahanbakhsh (AZ Alkmaar/NED), Karim Ansarifard (Olympiacos/RE), Mahdi Taremi (Al-Gharafa/QAT), Sardar Azmoun (Rubin Kazan/RUS), Reza Ghoochannejhad (Heerenveen/NED), Kaveh Rezaei (Charleroi/BEL)