South Korea's national soccer team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, suffered a shocking defeat in their final group match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, eliminating their chances of advancing on their own merit. Dropping to third place in their group, South Korea's progression to the knockout stage now depends on the outcomes of matches in other groups.
On June 25, at 10 a.m. KST, South Korea faced South Africa in their final Group A match at the Monterrey Stadium in Mexico, losing 1-0.
With this defeat, South Korea finished the group stage with a record of one win and two losses, earning three points. Meanwhile, Mexico secured first place in the group with a decisive 3-0 victory over the Czech Republic, finishing with nine points. South Africa's win allowed them to claim second place with four points (one win, one draw, one loss).
As a result, South Korea's hopes of advancing on their own terms were dashed. However, they avoided direct elimination from the tournament thanks to Mexico's victory over the Czech Republic.
Now, South Korea's chances of reaching the knockout stage are uncertain. In this tournament, which features 48 teams, the top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the Round of 32. South Korea must now watch the results of other groups to see if they can qualify.
If two or more third-placed teams finish with the same points, rankings will be determined by goal difference, goals scored, fair play points, and FIFA ranking. Currently, South Korea has three points, a goal difference of -1, and two goals scored.
The outlook is not promising. Prior to the match against South Africa, six other third-placed teams had already secured three or more points. Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Group B, confirmed their advancement with four points. Paraguay from Group D (goal difference -2, two goals scored), Sweden from Group F (goal difference 0, six goals scored), Algeria from Group J (goal difference -2, two goals scored), and Croatia from Group L (goal difference -1, three goals scored) all have three points. Scotland, in Group C, also has three points but a goal difference of -3, placing them below South Korea.
For South Korea to advance, at least three other third-placed teams from groups D to L must perform worse than them. This means that either their points must be below three, or if they have three points, their goal difference must be less than -1, or if the goal difference is the same, they must have scored fewer than two goals.
Particularly concerning is that South Korea has only scored two goals in three group matches, putting them at a disadvantage in the goals scored tiebreaker. Teams like Cape Verde from Group H, currently with two points and a goal difference of 0, and Belgium from Group G, with one point and a goal difference of 0, could surpass South Korea if they draw their final matches.
South Korea will be hoping for losses from other strong third-placed teams in their final matches.
The remaining matches that will determine South Korea's fate will take place from June 26 to June 28. On June 26, Japan will face Sweden (Group F) at 8 a.m. and Paraguay will play Australia (Group D) at 11 a.m. On June 27, Cape Verde will take on Saudi Arabia (Group H) at 9 a.m., followed by New Zealand against Belgium (Group G) at noon. Finally, on June 28, Croatia will face Ghana (Group L) at 6 a.m., and Algeria will play Austria (Group J) at 11 a.m.
If South Korea manages to qualify for the Round of 32 based on the results of other matches, they are likely to face the first-placed team from Group E or Group G. Germany has already secured first place in Group E, while the top team in Group G (either Belgium, Egypt, or Iran) will be determined on June 27.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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