'World Cup ends in just three matches'... Hong Myung-bo's team faces 'worst-case scenario' [World Cup On-Site Issues]

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korean national football team, blocked by the host nation Mexico, now faces a desperate situation where a single lapse in concentration during the final group stage match could end their tournament. They must guard against the worst-case scenario of packing their bags and leaving the World Cup stage after just three matches.

Led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, the South Korean national team suffered a narrow 0-1 defeat to Mexico in the Group A second match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North, Central America and Caribbean, held on the 19th at 10 a.m. (Korea time) at Estadio Akron in Zapopan, Guadalajara, Mexico.

The dream of an early qualification for the Round of 32, buoyed by a 2-1 victory over Czechia in the first match, has been postponed. South Korea remains in second place in the group with three points (one win, one loss). Meanwhile, Mexico, with two consecutive wins and six points, has already secured first place in Group A and a spot in the Round of 32, regardless of the final match result.

The match between Czechia and South Africa, held on the same day, ended in a 1-1 draw, making the standings in Group A, where South Korea is placed, extremely complex. As of the end of the second match, Mexico is in first place with six points, South Korea is in second with three points, Czechia is in third with one point, and South Africa is in fourth with one point. South Korea's fate will now depend on the outcome of the final group stage match against South Africa.

Although South Africa is objectively considered the weakest team in this group, they showed surprising strength in their second match against Czechia, securing a draw. Therefore, South Korea must absolutely avoid any lapse in concentration. In the upcoming final match, South Korea must block South Africa's counterattack and secure the desired result.

The cleanest scenario is a victory against South Africa in the final match. If South Korea defeats South Africa and secures six points, they will automatically confirm second place in the group. With Mexico already confirmed in first place, even if Czechia defeats Mexico in the same time slot and reaches four points, it would still fall short of South Korea's six points, allowing South Korea to advance alone in second place to the long-awaited Round of 32 tournament.

South Korea can also maintain second place with a draw against South Africa. A draw against South Africa would give South Korea four points. In this case, if Mexico defeats or draws with Czechia, Czechia would end up with only one or two points, making South Korea the sole second-place team. Even if Czechia pulls off an upset by defeating Mexico, resulting in a tie at four points between South Korea and Czechia, South Korea would retain second place in the group based on the head-to-head rule, which is the primary tiebreaker for this tournament, having defeated Czechia 2-1 in the first match.

The problem arises if South Korea loses the final match against South Africa. If South Korea is held to three points after falling to South Africa, they will immediately lose their ability to qualify on their own and face the crisis of dropping to third or fourth place in the group, forced to anxiously watch the results from other venues.

If South Korea loses to South Africa and Mexico either defeats or draws with Czechia, South Korea will be tied with South Africa at three points. However, due to the disadvantage in the head-to-head record from the final match defeat, South Korea would fall to third place. In this scenario, they would have to navigate a difficult path of complex comparisons with other third-place teams from other groups to determine whether they can squeeze into the Round of 32.

The most terrible worst-case scenario is if South Korea loses to South Africa while, at the same time, Czechia defeats Mexico. If this scenario materializes, Czechia would record four points and rise to second place, while South Korea, disadvantaged in the head-to-head record against South Africa, would plummet to fourth and last place in the group, leading to immediate elimination from the World Cup stage. The significance of the victory over Czechia in the first match would vanish in an instant.

Ultimately, the clear task for Hong Myung-bo's team is to abandon complacent calculations like aiming for a draw and must definitely secure a victory against South Africa. South Africa demonstrated considerable strength in their match against Czechia; if South Korea allows a goal even for a moment due to a lapse in concentration, they could face the harsh reality of having to pack their bags after just three group stage matches. This is why the South Korean national team, standing on the brink, must set up a rear guard and go all-in in the final match.

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*This content was translated by AI.