Taegeuk Warriors Hold Out Hope Until the End, Devastated by Elimination from Round of 32

The Taegeuk Warriors, who had been calculating various scenarios while waiting to see if they would advance to the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, have ultimately packed their bags after the group stage.

The South Korean national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, watched the final Group K match between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uzbekistan from their hotel in Zapopan, Mexico, today (June 28), where they faced the moment their elimination was confirmed.

South Korea only needed a draw against South Africa in their final Group A match to advance to the Round of 32, but they suffered a 0-1 defeat, dropping them to third place in the group with 3 points.

With their fate no longer in their own hands, the team returned to their base camp and was forced to anxiously watch the results of matches in other groups.

In this tournament, the top 8 teams among the 12 third-place finishers from each group join the Round of 32 as wildcards.

Before the Group K match, South Korea was precariously holding onto the 8th spot, the cutoff for the wildcard among the third-place teams.

According to a team official, the players watched the match together while having dinner that evening.

Even after finishing their meal, some players remained in the dining area to keep their eyes on the screen, while others dispersed to their rooms, watching the remaining match in small groups.


As the match in the other group held the key to South Korea's fate, the players watched the situation with nervous anticipation throughout.

For South Korea to advance to the Round of 32, the third-place team in Group K, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1 draw, 1 loss), needed to fail to win against the fourth-place team, Uzbekistan (2 losses).

Even if Uzbekistan won and reached 3 points to become the third-place team, their goal difference (-7) was significantly lower, making it difficult for them to surpass South Korea in metrics such as goals scored unless they secured a landslide victory by a margin of 6 goals or more.

However, as the Democratic Republic of the Congo scored a comeback goal and added another to secure the victory against Uzbekistan, it was reported that the players watching the screen were left devastated.

In the end, the North American journey of the Taegeuk Warriors, who had not let go of hope, concluded in a heavy silence in front of the television.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.