Nine South Korean players, including Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, and Cho Gue-sung, selected for the unified Best 11 ahead of the match against South Africa

*This content was translated by AI.

Ahead of the final Group A match of the 2026 FIFA North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup, the unified Best 11 for the South Korea and South Africa national football teams was unveiled. Nine of the 11th players are from South Korea, a figure that highlights the significant gap in team strength between the two sides.

Soccer content media Mad Football announced the unified Best 11 for the match between South Korea and South Africa on the 24th (Korean time). The two teams will face each other at 10 a.m. on the 25th at the Monterrey Stadium in Mexico. South Korea will advance to the Round of 32 with at least a draw against South Africa.

Mad Football, which constructed the unified Best 11 using a 3-4-3 formation, selected as many as nine South Korean players.

In the forward line, Son Heung-min (LAFC) and Cho Gue-sung (Midtjylland) are positioned, while Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City), Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) form the midfield.

The defensive line consists entirely of South Korean players who started in both the first and second group stage matches against Czechia and Mexico. The three-man defense features Lee Ki-hyuk (FC Anyang), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and Lee Han-beom (Midtjylland), with Kim Seung-gyu (FC Tokyo) selected as the goalkeeper.

On the South African side, Oswyn Apollis (Orlando Pirates) and Teboho Mokoena (Mamelodi Sundowns) were selected as a wide attacker and a midfielder, respectively. Although Apollis has yet to record an attacking point in this tournament, he was chosen for the unified Best 11 as an attacker. Mokoena, a key player who started and played the full 90 minutes in both group stage matches against Mexico and Czechia, also scored a goal in the match against Czechia.

However, Mokoena, who secured a spot in the unified Best 11 against South Korea, will be unable to play in the match against South Korea due to suspension. He received a yellow card in both the matches against Mexico and Czechia, resulting in a suspension. Consequently, South Africa not only has just two players in the unified Best 11 selected by Mad Football, but one of them is also ineligible to play against South Korea.

The FIFA rankings show a significant gap, with South Korea at 25th and South Africa at 60th. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two nations. South Korea will secure a spot in the Round of 32 by finishing second in the group with at least a draw, while South Africa will either advance to the Round of 32 by defeating South Korea or, even if they finish third in the group, will have a strong chance of advancing. In this tournament, the top two teams from each group and the eight best third-placed teams among the 12th groups will advance to the Round of 32.

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*This content was translated by AI.