Another 'historical disgrace' left by Hong Myung-bo's team... South Korea's 9th group-stage exit at the World Cup, tied for the most in the world

*This content was translated by AI.

What Hong Myung-bo's team left behind was not just a failure to reach the round of 32. South Korean football has also shouldered another record of historical disgrace.

The South Korean national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, recorded one win and two losses (three points), two goals scored and three conceded, and a goal difference of -1 in Group A of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Although they were drawn with host nation Mexico, as well as Czechia and South Africa, and were considered to be in a relatively easy group, the result fell short of expectations. South Korea finished third in Group A and entered the tiebreaker competition among third-placed teams, but ultimately failed to advance to the round of 32.

This slump carries meaning beyond an early exit. Including this tournament, South Korea has recorded its ninth group-stage exit in World Cup history. This is a disgraceful record tied with Scotland for the most group-stage exits in World Cup history.

South Korea first stepped onto the World Cup finals stage at the 1954 Switzerland tournament. Since then, they have appeared in the finals 12 times, including this North American tournament. Of those, they advanced past the group stage only three times. They wrote a quarterfinal legend at the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, became the first team in history to reach the round of 16 in an away match at the 2010 South Africa World Cup, and dramatically reached the round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup as well.

However, in the remaining nine times, they stopped at the group stage. South Korea experienced group-stage exits at the 1954 Switzerland tournament, the 1986 Mexico tournament, the 1990 Italy tournament, the 1994 United States tournament, the 1998 France tournament, the 2006 Germany tournament, the 2014 Brazil tournament, and the 2018 Russia tournament. With the addition of the 2026 North American tournament, this marks their ninth group-stage exit overall.

Among these, coach Hong Myung-bo led two Cha Rye (CEO) teams to the World Cup finals stage. Coach Hong Myung-bo also commanded the South Korean national team at the 2014 Brazil World Cup but was eliminated in the group stage with one draw and two losses. His second World Cup challenge after returning as the national team's head coach 10 years later also ended in failure.

From the perspective of South Korean football, this tournament's slump was particularly painful. Starting with the North American World Cup, the number of participating teams in the finals expanded to 48, and the tournament bracket began at the round of 32. The top two teams in each group, as well as the eight best-performing third-placed teams among the 12th groups, would advance to the round of 32. However, South Korea did not even make it into that group.

The collapse at the most critical moment was fatal. South Korea lost 0-1 to South Africa in the final group-stage match. It was not even a game where a win was necessary. A draw would have been enough to finish second in Group A and advance to the round of 32. However, South Korea failed to produce even the minimum result and missed the opportunity to qualify for the tournament on its own.

The squad composition was not bad. Son Heung-min (LAFC), the English Premier League (EPL) top scorer, anchored the team, and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), who achieved back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles, added strength. Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) was a threatening attacking resource, and midfielders such as Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) and Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), who have been recognized for their competitiveness on the European stage, were also present.

The core of the defense was Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich). Kim Min-jae received praise for his wall-like defense in the first match against Czechia. Before the tournament, some foreign media mentioned the possibility of South Korea being a dark horse, citing their possession of famous stars. However, South Korea finished 34th out of 48 teams and ended their World Cup journey.

The only team to record nine group-stage exits in World Cup history alongside South Korea is Scotland. Scotland returned to the World Cup finals stage for the first time in 28 years, since the 1998 France tournament, through this tournament. They have appeared in the World Cup finals nine times in total, including the North American tournament, but have never advanced past the group stage.

The result was the same in this tournament. Scotland was drawn in Group C with Brazil, Morocco, and Haiti. They raised hopes by defeating Haiti 1-0 in their first match, but were unable to overcome Morocco and Brazil afterward. Ultimately, they finished third in the group with one win and two losses (three points) and a goal difference of -3, and were eliminated in the tiebreaker competition among third-placed teams.

On the other hand, Mexico escaped the disgraceful record. Before this tournament, Mexico, along with South Korea and Scotland, had recorded eight group-stage exits in World Cup history. However, in this tournament held on home soil, they advanced past the group stage as Group A winners and reached the round of 32. As a result, only South Korea and Scotland now hold the world record for the most group-stage exits at the World Cup, with nine each, through this North American World Cup. Coach Hong Myung-bo took responsibility for the poor performance at the North American World Cup and announced his voluntary resignation at a press conference on the 29th.

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*This content was translated by AI.