Head Coach Hong Myung-bo Resigns After World Cup Group Stage Exit: "I Am Sincerely Sorry"

South Korean national football team head coach Hong Myung-bo has stepped down from his position, taking responsibility for the team's failure to advance to the Round of 32 at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup.

Hong announced his resignation on the morning of June 29, the day after the team's elimination from the group stage was confirmed, while meeting with reporters at Chivas Valle Verde in Zapopan, Mexico, which served as the team's base camp.

"I offer my sincere apologies to the people," Hong said. "I am stepping down as the head coach of the national team. However, this does not mean I am letting go of my heart for South Korean football. I will sincerely cheer for our national team to grow into a team that can once again receive the trust and love of the people."

Appointed on July 8, 2024, Hong's contract was originally set to run through the 2027 Asian Cup, scheduled for January 2027.

He is stepping down about six months early following the failure to reach the Round of 32 at the World Cup.

South Korea, which competed in Group A alongside host nation Mexico, the Czech Republic, and South Africa, was eliminated after finishing third in the group.

After winning their first match against the Czech Republic 2-1, they lost 0-1 to host Mexico in the second match and were defeated 0-1 in the final match against South Africa, a game in which a draw would have been enough to secure a spot in the Round of 32 on their own.

Subsequently, the team was eliminated after falling to 10th place in the competition among the 12 third-placed teams.

In this tournament, which saw the number of participating countries expand to 48 for the first time, South Korea's final ranking was 34th.

Hong, who previously led the national team to a disappointing performance of one draw and two losses at the 2014 Brazil tournament, has returned the national team reins early after failing to achieve success in his second World Cup opportunity as head coach.

Hong is the only person in South Korea to have led the national team as head coach in two World Cups.

Throughout the process of his appointment as head coach this time, Hong faced controversy over unfair selection practices and had to navigate the World Cup qualifiers and the final tournament without the full support of fans.

At the time, allegations arose that the Korea Football Association's National Team Committee had handpicked Hong without sufficiently reviewing other candidates, and he even suffered the humiliation of being summoned to a National Assembly hearing on the matter.

Despite such circumstances, Hong led the team through the final World Cup qualifiers with an undefeated record of six wins and four draws.

However, public opinion calling for his dismissal never subsided as the team displayed inconsistent performance, including consecutive heavy losses in friendly matches against Brazil (0-5) and Ivory Coast (0-4).

This marks the first time in eight years, since the 2018 Russia tournament, that South Korean football has failed to pass the World Cup group stage.

The national team led by Hong had aimed for its third overall and second consecutive away Round of 16 appearance, following the 2010 South Africa and 2022 Qatar tournaments, but could not achieve the goal.

Hong, who was on his seventh World Cup journey as a player, coach, and head coach, will leave Mexico without a smile.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.