"A gloomy World Cup for Asia": Even more humiliating compared to Africa... The 'naked truth' revealed by the expansion to 48 teams, wiped out in the Round of 32

*This content was translated by AI.

Asian teams, including South Korea, failed to avoid poor performances at the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup. The expansion to a 48-team format instead exposed the raw reality of Asian football.

On the 4th (Korea time), Australia played Egypt in the Round of 32 match held at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, USA. After a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes including extra time, they lost 2-4 in a penalty shootout. Thus, Australia concluded their tournament journey in the Round of 32.

Australia, who advanced from the group stage as second place in Group D, could not maintain their momentum. According to Reuters, Australian coach Tony Popovic said after the match, "It was a harsh result. We showed the world that Australian football is strong. It was an excellent squad, and it hurts my heart to think of the players. Unfortunately, we have to go home. Our World Cup ends here," expressing his regret.

Australia's elimination was a painful blow for all of Asia. No Asian team remained in the North American World Cup. A total of nine countries from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) participated in this tournament. Along with South Korea, Japan, Australia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan stepped onto the main stage. Starting this tournament, the World Cup expanded from the existing 32-team format to a 48-team format. The number of main stage tickets allocated to Asia also increased. Thanks to this, Jordan and Uzbekistan participated in the World Cup main stage for the first time in history.

However, the results did not meet expectations. Among the nine Asian teams, only two teams—Japan and Australia—advanced from the group stage.

The "Asian powerhouse" South Korea collapsed miserably. Led by former coach Hong Myung-bo, South Korea was drawn into Group A with Mexico, Czechia, and South Africa but managed only one win and two losses, finishing third in the group and failing to advance to the Round of 32. South Korea concluded this tournament with its worst-ever World Cup performance, ranking 34th.

Qatar, the back-to-back Asian Cup champions, also finished last in Group B with one draw and two losses. Iran recorded three draws in Group G but could not survive the competition for third place in the group. Saudi Arabia also finished fourth in Group H with two draws and one loss. Iraq, Jordan, and Uzbekistan were eliminated after suffering three consecutive defeats.

The British Guardian pointed out Asia's poor performance early on. The media stated, "This World Cup was a gloomy tournament for Asia. Seven of the nine Asian teams were eliminated in the group stage, even under the most lenient tournament format."

It also delivered sharp criticism toward South Korea. The Guardian said, "South Korea was perhaps the most disappointing team. They should have advanced from the group stage. While the first win against Czechia was encouraging, they subsequently showed terrible and passive performances against Mexico and South Africa," heavily criticizing them.

Among Asian teams, Japan showed the best performance. Under coach Hajime Moriyasu, Japan finished second in Group F, competing against the Netherlands, Sweden, and Tunisia. In the Round of 32, they played an even match against "eternal favorites" Brazil but conceded a heartbreaking winning goal in stoppage time of the second half, losing 1-2.

However, Japan also had regrets. Including this tournament, Japan has advanced from the group stage five times in World Cup history, but they have never won a single match in the knockout stages. They reached the Round of 16 in the 2002, 2010, 2018, and 2022 tournaments but failed to pass the first knockout round each time. Even in this tournament held under the 48th-team format, they were stopped at the Round of 32.

Australia also failed to overcome its limits in the end. While criticized for a defensive style of play during the group stage, Australia seemed to secure results by advancing to the Round of 32 as second place in Group D. However, they lost to Egypt in a penalty shootout and bowed out from their first knockout match.

Compared to Africa, Asia's poor performance stands out even more. A total of ten African countries participated in this North American World Cup. Among them, only Tunisia was eliminated in the group stage. Nine teams—Morocco, South Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Cape Verde, Senegal, Ghana, Algeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo—reached the Round of 32.

Their performances were also impressive. Morocco competed for first place in Group C against Brazil, while Côte d'Ivoire recorded two wins and one loss in Group E, matching Germany's record. Egypt also finished second in Group G with one win and two draws, matching Belgium's record. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Algeria, and Senegal joined the Round of 32 by finishing third in their groups.

There were also surprise teams. South Africa defeated South Korea to advance to the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in history. Cape Verde, making its World Cup debut, recorded three draws and finished second in Group H to reach the Round of 32—a better result than "South American powerhouse" Uruguay, which was in the same group.

African teams also made their presence felt in the Round of 32. Although only two teams—Morocco and Egypt—advanced from the nine participating African teams to the Round of 16, even the eliminated teams did not fall easily. South Africa lost 0-1 to co-host Canada after conceding a winning goal late in the second half. Senegal led 2-0 against Belgium but suffered a 3-2 comeback defeat. Côte d'Ivoire also lost 1-2 to Norway after conceding a winning goal to Erling Haaland in the 41st minute of the second half.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo also pushed England to the brink. Without Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), who scored multiple goals, England likely would not have avoided early elimination. Cape Verde also narrowly lost 2-3 to Argentina, held up by "God of Football" Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), after a grueling extra-time battle. Algeria and Ghana could not overcome the walls of Switzerland and Colombia, respectively, but African teams' competitiveness from the group stage through the knockout rounds was clearly impressive.

There were also achievements. Morocco defeated "favorite" Netherlands in a tense penalty shootout to advance to the Round of 16. Egypt also defeated Australia to record its first-ever World Cup knockout stage victory. This stood in stark contrast to Asia, where both Japan and Australia were eliminated in the Round of 32, resulting in no Asian team advancing to the Round of 16.

The British Times also focused on the performance gap between Africa and Asia. The Times pointed out, "While the two continental confederations in growth have generally received equal treatment from FIFA, their respective achievements in this tournament show a significant imbalance." Both Asia and Africa benefited from the expansion of qualification spots through this tournament. However, while Africa proved its worth, Asia concluded the North American World Cup having only brought shame upon itself.

The Guardian also highlighted the divergent results of the two continents, stating, "Unlike Asia, only one African team was eliminated in the group stage."

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*This content was translated by AI.