There is a "team eliminated" even more shocking than Hong Myung-bo's, ESPN says "South Korea was the second shock"

*This content was translated by AI.

Local reports stated that the South Korean national football team's elimination from the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America was the second biggest shock of this tournament.

Global media outlet ESPN, on the 3rd (Korea time), highlighted that "South Korea is the team most disappointed by the results of this tournament," adding, "It would not be an exaggeration to say they are the second team to suffer a shocking elimination in the group stage of this tournament."

Under coach Hong Myung-bo, South Korea had previously won against Czech Republic in Group A of the group stage but then suffered consecutive losses to Mexico and South Africa, finishing third in the group. Consequently, failing to rank among the top eight of the twelve third-placed teams, they ultimately faced the worst outcome: elimination from the group stage.

ESPN stated, "South Korea's elimination was truly shocking," adding, "By finishing third in their group and being eliminated, ace Son Heung-min (LAFC) will have to be 37 years old by the time he can play in the next World Cup."

It continued, "South Korea had an opportunity to enjoy an environment almost equivalent to a home game in the Round of 32, as the matches were scheduled to be held in Los Angeles. Moreover, their opponent was not a favorite like France or Argentina but Canada, which had lost its home advantage, making it a match they could have realistically challenged."

ESPN remarked, "All South Korea needed was at least a draw against the weakest team, South Africa. However, coach Hong Myung-bo made a bold move by excluding ace Son Heung-min from the starting lineup, and as a result, they were outplayed by South Africa in terms of game content and suffered defeat." It ultimately gave South Korea a final grade of 'D-'.

While ESPN ranked South Korea's shock as the second biggest, the team it identified as the most shocking of the tournament was Uruguay.

Uruguay, with a FIFA ranking of 16th (higher than South Korea's 25th), finished third in Group H with two draws and one loss, leading to their elimination from the group stage. After drawing with Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde but losing to Spain, they failed to secure any points in the group stage and were the first among all third-placed teams to be officially eliminated. Immediately after their elimination, Uruguay faced fierce criticism domestically, including the cancellation of their charter flight.

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*This content was translated by AI.