South Korea's chances of advancing to the knockout stage have diminished further after Senegal's decisive victory over Iraq. Senegal's win pushed South Korea down from third to seventh place in the group standings based on goal difference.
On June 27, Senegal triumphed over Iraq with a score of 5-0 in their final group match at Toronto Stadium. Senegal finished the group stage with one win and two losses, earning three points, while scoring eight goals and conceding six, significantly bettering South Korea's goal difference of -1. Consequently, South Korea fell to seventh place among the eight third-place teams eligible for advancement. Iraq, having lost all three matches, finished last in the group without any points.
South Korea had hoped for a draw in this match, as a win for Iraq would have favored their chances. From the outset, Senegal took control, scoring just four minutes into the match. Iraq's defender, Levin Sulaka, received a red card for a foul on Sadio Mané in the 13th minute, leaving Iraq at a numerical disadvantage.
In the second half, Senegal extended their lead with goals from Ismaïla Sarr in the 56th minute and Pape Gueye, who scored twice, making it 4-0 by the 71st minute. Ilyas Ndiaye capped off the scoring with a goal in the 82nd minute, sealing the 5-0 victory.
As a result, the South Korean men's national football team's chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America have significantly decreased. The tournament has expanded to 48 teams, with the top eight third-place teams from the 12 groups advancing to the knockout stage. Rankings are determined by points, goal difference, goals scored, and fair play.
Five more groups, G, H, J, K, and L, have yet to complete their final matches. South Korea can only hope for no additional third-place teams to outperform them in these groups to maintain any chance of advancing.
Meanwhile, on the prediction market platform Polymarket, investors estimate South Korea's chances of reaching the knockout stage at 26%. The likelihood of advancing to the Round of 16 is pegged at 11%, while the chance of making it to the semifinals stands at 6%.
Polymarket is a decentralized prediction market based on virtual assets, where users bet on outcomes and profit by accurately predicting results.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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