"Hong Myung-bo becomes public enemy No. 1" — South Korea's 46th-place finish at the World Cup sparks 'shocking harsh criticism'... "Even the president stepped in"

*This content was translated by AI.

A prominent U.S.-based sports specialty outlet concluded its review of the 2026 FIFA North America World Cup by ranking the South Korean national football team 46th out of 48 nations. This is nothing short of a "shocking harsh criticism."

On the 21st (Korea time), Sports Illustrated (SI) evaluated all 48 teams based on their tournament performance, expectations, and entertainment value following the North America World Cup to determine final rankings. Under Hong Myung-bo's leadership, South Korea finished in 46th place, third from the bottom after Tunisia and Uruguay.

SI stated that "Head coach Hong Myung-bo has become 'public enemy No. 1' in South Korea," conveying the domestic critical atmosphere directed at him. It further added, "Even the president directly called the results 'unacceptable' and demanded a government-level analysis, which shows how serious the situation was."

Since his appointment in 2024, head coach Hong Myung-bo faced fierce criticism over controversies regarding the fairness of his selection process. Ultimately, he bowed his head after failing to advance beyond the group stage even in his second World Cup challenge. Notably, this tournament allowed not only the top two teams from each group but also the eight best-performing third-placed teams among the 12th groups to advance to the knockout round. However, Hong's team finished third in its group and failed to secure one of those top-eight spots.

Head coach Hong Myung-bo eventually announced his resignation as national team manager while still in Mexico. His poor performance throughout the tournament came under scrutiny, along with tactical decisions such as excluding Son Heung-min (LAFC) from the starting lineup for the final group stage match against South Africa. Even upon returning home, Hong offered no comments and departed for the United States just two days later, sparking controversy over accusations of fleeing the country.

Amidst this, President Lee Jae-myung unusually stated shortly after the group stage elimination: "I am not only surprised but utterly bewildered by results that were beyond expectations. The failure to qualify for the World Cup finals, which left the nation feeling empty, appears to be a result of organizational and personnel failures. When leaders prioritize personal connections over ability and appoint incompetent individuals as commanders, the outcome is as clear as day."

President Lee further stated, "To prevent such incidents from recurring, we will swiftly advance sports administration reforms. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism should carefully oversee a thorough analysis of the current situation, identify causes, and develop measures to prevent recurrence and ensure improvement." Following this, the K-Football Innovation Committee was launched under the leadership of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Park Ji-sung serves as a member of the FIFA sub-committee, while Yoo Seung-min chairs the Korean Olympic Committee. Gong Dong-wi (Director) is serving as chairperson.

Meanwhile, Tunisia, ranked last with an even worse evaluation than South Korea, was eliminated early from Group F in the group stage with three consecutive losses. Uruguay also failed to advance beyond the group stage in Group H, finishing with two draws and one loss, ending up third in its group like South Korea and missing out on the Round of 32. As of last month, Uruguay held the 16th position in the FIFA rankings.

In Asia, Japan ranked highest at 20th place, followed by Australia (24th), Iran (33rd), Jordan (37th), Qatar (38th), Uzbekistan (39th), Iraq (43rd), and Saudi Arabia (44th). South Korea held the lowest ranking even within Asia.

Led by champion Spain, Argentina, England, and France occupied the top four positions according to their final tournament results. Norway, Switzerland, Morocco, Belgium, Mexico, and Colombia followed to complete the top 10.

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*This content was translated by AI.