'South Africa, South Korea's World Cup Opponent' Final Squad Valuation: Hong Myung-bo's Team is Over Three Times Higher

*This content was translated by AI.

The final roster of the South African national team, which is in the same group as the South Korean national team at the 2026 FIFA North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup, has been announced. The total valuation of the South African squad is 45.3 million euros (approximately 79.1 billion won), less than one-third of the total valuation of the South Korean squad announced earlier.

Hugo Broos, coach of the South African national team (Belgium), announced the 26th-player final roster for the 2026 FIFA North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup on the 28th (Korean time) at the State Guest House in Pretoria, South Africa. Lee Nal (CEO) team roster announcement event was attended by Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, and Danny Jordan, South African Gong Chuk-gu-hyeop (Chairman), among others.

Of the 26th players, five were active in Europe, while 19 were players competing in the South African domestic league. The European-based players included striker Lyle Foster, who plays for Burnley in the English Premier League (EPL), along with Ime Okon (Hannover, Germany 2nd Division), Samkelo Kavini (Molde, Norway), Sifelo Sithole (Tondela, Portugal), and Tafelo Maseko (Limassol, Cyprus).

Among them, Foster is the only player to have played in Europe's top leagues during the 2025-2026 season. He made 26 appearances in the EPL, recording three goals and two assists. However, his team finished 19th in the EPL this season, and relegation to the Championship (2nd division) for next season has been confirmed. According to the football transfer specialist site Transfermarkt, Foster's market value is 142.4 million euros (approximately 17.5 billion won), making him the highest-valued player in the South African national team.

Aside from Foster, the market value of the other 25 players was all under 3 million euros (approximately 5.24 billion won). Ikram Reiners was valued at 3 million euros, and Teboho Mokoenane (both from Mamelodi Sundowns) was valued at 2.5 million euros (approximately 4.37 billion won). The player with the lowest market value is Temba Zwane (Mamelodi), born in 1989, who is the oldest player in this South African national team, with a market value of only 300,000 euros (approximately 530 million won).

The total valuation of the 26th South African national team players was 45.3 million euros. This amounts to 31.8% of the total market value of Hong Myung-bo's squad, which was announced on the 16th at 142.4 million euros (approximately 248.6 billion won). This means that the total valuation of Hong Myung-bo's team is more than three times that of the South African national team.

Naturally, it has become even more certain that South Africa is an opponent against which South Korea must aim for three points based on objective strength. In the FIFA rankings, South Korea is ranked 25th, while South Africa is ranked 60th, showing a significant gap. The match between South Korea and South Africa will be held at 10 a.m. next month at the Monterrey Stadium in Mexico. As the final group stage showdown, it is likely to be a decisive match determining qualification for the round of 32.

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*This content was translated by AI.