▲ Ecuador players celebrate after their victory against Germany
The South Korean national football team, which finished third in Group A, has slipped further down in the competition for a spot in the Round of 32.
This comes as Ecuador pulled off a thrilling, unexpected comeback victory against the "German Tank" (Germany), securing a better record than South Korea to finish third in Group E.
Ecuador defeated Germany 2-1 in their final Group E match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, held at the New York/New Jersey Stadium on June 26 (KST).
With this result, Ecuador finished the group stage with one win, one draw, and one loss, accumulating 4 points (goal difference of 0) to take third place in Group E.
As of today, Ecuador has moved to the top spot among the third-place teams across the 12 groups.
On the other hand, South Korea, which finished with one win and two losses (2 goals scored, 3 conceded) for 3 points (goal difference of -1) in Group A, has dropped to 5th place in the race for the Round of 32—which is granted to the top 8 third-place teams across all groups—leaving them in a position where they must anxiously await the results of other groups.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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