'How can this be? No one is helping Coach Hong Myung-bo.' South Korea's 32-team tournament qualification probability rewrites history's worst record... plummeting to a mere 36.04% [World Cup Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

The price of the shocking defeat against the weakest opponent, South Africa, is snowballing. With the chance of advancing on their own lost, the probability of Coach Hong Myung-bo's team reaching the 32nd-team tournament has collapsed to a historic low, shattering even the psychological barrier of 50%.

According to the statistics specialist media 'Opta', the probability of the South Korean national football team advancing to the 32nd-team tournament of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North, Central America and the Caribbean has dropped to a mere 36.04%. This is the first time since the start of this tournament that South Korea's qualification probability has fallen below 50%.

In the previously held final group stage match, Paraguay drew with Australia, securing an advantage over South Korea, while Ecuador secured a comeback victory against Germany, among other upsets in other groups. As these favorable scenarios for South Korea disappeared one after another, the remaining qualification spots for South Korea have dwindled to just three, as top third-place teams in the groups have already secured their tickets. As proven by supercomputer predictions, Coach Hong Myung-bo's team has been pushed beyond the cliff's edge.

This tournament is being restructured for the first time in history with 48 participating teams, meaning the top eight teams among the twelve teams finishing third in their groups will take the last train to the tournament. The ranking is calculated in the order of points, goal difference, goals scored, fair play points, and FIFA ranking. Currently, with one win and two losses (3 points), South Korea is barely hanging on to as high as fifth place among the third-place teams.

Fortunately, a faint hope still remains. Scenarios in which South Korea can survive still exist depending on the results of the remaining final matches. First, if Spain defeats Uruguay in Group H, the scenarios will become absolutely favorable for Coach Hong Myung-bo's team. Next, Senegal must either win by one goal or draw against Iraq in Group I. In Group J, Austria must win, or Algeria must secure a victory of two goals or more against Austria.

Ultimately, South Korea's fate is expected to be decided only on the final day of the group stage. In the remaining Group K, Uzbekistan must defeat the Congo, and in Group L, Ghana must secure a victory against Croatia. For South Korea to secure the last ticket to the 32nd-team tournament, at least three of these conditions must be met.

Despite the dismal probability, the national team is currently regrouping while waiting for heaven's judgment. Coach Hong Myung-bo and key players Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in have unanimously stated, "We will rebuild the team in any way possible and prepare for the next match." They are currently at the Chivas Verde Valle base camp in Guadalajara, not giving up hope and focusing on recovery training.

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*This content was translated by AI.