Hong Myung-bo's team suffered humiliation even in Asia; only one player makes the World Cup integrated Best 11

*This content was translated by AI.

A new integrated Best 11 for the Asian and Oceania teams participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North, Central America and the Caribbean was unveiled. Having fallen to third place in their group and failing to advance directly to the Round of 32, South Korea managed to secure only a single spot. This is the aftermath of the shocking defeat against South Africa.

Football content media Madfootball unveiled the newly assembled integrated Best 11 for the Asian teams in the World Cup on the 25th (Korea time). This came immediately after South Korea lost 0-1 to South Africa in the final Group A match of the World Cup in North, Central America and the Caribbean held at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico.

On that day, South Korea could have secured a spot in the Round of 32 by finishing second in the group with just a draw against South Africa, but after a poor performance against South Africa, ranked 60th in the FIFA rankings, they ultimately fell to third place. They now must compete for a Round of 32 spot by comparing their results with other third-placed teams. Among the 12 third-placed teams, the top eight will earn qualification.

The fallout from failing to advance directly to the Round of 32 resulted in only one player being selected for the Asian integrated Best 11. Only Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), who delivered a stellar performance with one goal and one assist in the first group stage match against Czechia, secured a spot in the midfield. Previously selected players Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) were all excluded.

Instead, a staggering nine of the 11th spots were filled by Japanese players. Led by Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord), Junya Ito (Genk), Keito Nakamura (Lens), Gaishu Sano (Mainz 05), Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), Hiroki Ito (Bayern Munich), Ko Itakura (Ajax), and Zion Suzuki (Parma) made the list. Additionally, New Zealand national team player Eliza Just (Motherwell) and Iran's Ramin Rezaeian (Esteghlal) were each selected.

Meanwhile, Japan, with a remarkable nine players selected, recorded four points (one win, one draw) in Group F of the group stage, finishing second behind the Netherlands (also four points). Advancement to the Round of 32 is virtually secured. Even if they lose their final match against Sweden and drop to third place, they would still have more points than South Korea and a goal difference of +4, placing them firmly in the qualification zone for the Round of 32.

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*This content was translated by AI.