*This content was translated by AI.
Even after the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification for North, Central America and the Caribbean was confirmed and the Lee Mi (CEO) team began its journey home, the "World Cup humiliation" of the South Korean national football team is not over. The team was selected as one of the five worst teams of this World Cup by a Japanese media outlet, a situation that is even more humiliating given there is little to refute.
On the 30th, Japanese football specialist outlet Football Channel announced the five teams with the worst performances, marking the end of the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North, Central America and the Caribbean. The outlet selected South Korea (1 win, 2 losses, 3rd in Group A), Turkey (1 win, 2 losses, 4th in Group D), Uruguay (2 draws, 1 loss, 3rd in Group H), Czechia (1 draw, 2 losses, 4th in Group A), and Portugal (1 win, 2 draws, 2nd in Group K). All four teams except Portugal were eliminated in the group stage, and two teams came from Group A, the group to which South Korea belonged.
Regarding the South Korean national team, Football Channel stated, "The tiger of Asia lost its fighting spirit as if its fangs had been pulled out, and was eliminated from the tournament amid the anger and disappointment of fans." It further pointed out, "At the time of the World Cup group draw last December, there were many opinions in South Korea that the group draw was fair, and the prevailing view was that South Korea would easily advance as the second-place team in the group, but reality was not so easy."
The outlet noted, "It started smoothly with a comeback victory against Czechia. However, in the crucial second match against Mexico, Kim Seung-gyu (FC Tokyo) made a mistake, which directly led to the winning goal being conceded." It added, "The bigger problem was the match against South Africa. A draw would have secured second place in the group and qualified for the round of 32, but the South Korean players repeated passive play and frequent mistakes."
It continued, "After conceding the first goal in the 18th minute of the second half, perhaps due to impatience, the attack also became monotonous, and ultimately, they lost 0-1 and plummeted to third place in the group." It added, "There was no choice but to wait for the results of other third-place teams, but on the 28th, the final day of the group stage, it was confirmed that they were eliminated from the World Cup group stage."
Not only was the selection as the worst team of the World Cup itself, but the media's descriptions of the South Korean national team were also content that could not be refuted. In fact, at the time of the group draw, the prevailing view was that South Korea would compete for first place in the group with Mexico, and Coach Hong Myung-bo also set advancing to the round of 32 as the primary goal. FIFA rankings showed South Korea was second only to Mexico in Group A, and the assessment that the players' strength was "the best in history" was by no means an exaggeration.
However, the controversy over performance, masked by the comeback victory against Czechia, ultimately continued into the second and third matches. Especially, the shock defeat against South Africa, the "weakest team," which only required a draw, pushed the situation to the point where they had to calculate all possible scenarios. In the case of the South Africa match, it was not just about missing the result; it was a match where Coach Hong Myung-bo's tactics and the players' fighting spirit could not be found, leading to even greater anger from fans. This was compounded by incomprehensible managerial decisions by Coach Hong, such as the exclusion of Son Heung-min (LAFC) from the starting lineup and the absence of Lee Jae-sung (Mainz).
Ultimately, as the media described, Korean football was eliminated with a meager record of 1 win and 2 losses, despite being evaluated as having the strongest team in history, like a "tiger with its fangs pulled out." Even with the expansion to a 48-team format, which widened the path to advance from the group stage, Coach Hong's team suffered the humiliation of "early elimination." As a result of this fallout, Coach Hong Myung-bo stepped down from the national team coaching position "again." This was the second "dishonorable departure" following the 2014 Brazil tournament.
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*This content was translated by AI.
