Can Hong Myung-bo's Squad Overcome 'Africa Jinx'? South Korea Eyes Round of 32 Against South Africa

The South Korean national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, is looking to break its "Africa jinx" and secure a spot in the Round of 32 as the runner-up of Group A at the 2026 World Cup.

The team will play its final Group A match against South Africa at the Estadio Monterrey in Guadalupe, Nuevo León, Mexico, on June 25 at 10 a.m. (KST).

After a 2-1 comeback victory against the Czech Republic in their opening match and a narrow 0-1 loss to host nation Mexico in the second, Hong's squad can no longer finish top of the group to advance to the knockout stage.

Mexico has already secured first place with two wins.

However, South Korea remains in a favorable position, as a draw against South Africa would secure second place in the group. Even with a loss, the team could still hope to advance to the Round of 32 as one of the best third-placed teams.

But a defeat against South Africa could potentially push South Korea down to fourth place, resulting in elimination depending on other results.

This is because if the Czech Republic defeats Mexico in the match played simultaneously at Mexico City Stadium, the Czech Republic would finish second and South Africa third.

There are numerous instances where teams play for a draw but end up losing as their game plan falls apart.

This is why Hong's squad must aim for a victory against South Africa.

South Africa is the lowest-ranked team in Group A, sitting at 61st in the live FIFA rankings.

They are 38 spots below South Korea, which is ranked 23rd.

However, South Korea cannot afford to be complacent, as it has historically struggled against African opponents.

In past World Cups, South Korea has faced African teams four times, recording a subpar record of one win, one draw, and two losses.

Its sole victory came against Togo (2-1) at the 2006 tournament in Germany.

The team has not won against an African opponent at the World Cup in the 20 years since.

South Korea drew 2-2 with Nigeria at the 2010 South Africa World Cup, suffered a crushing 2-4 defeat against Algeria at the 2014 Brazil World Cup,

and lost 2-3 to Ghana in their second group stage match at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, where they eventually reached the Round of 16 for the second time on foreign soil.

South Korea conceded the opening goal in all four of these matches and failed to keep a single clean sheet.

Coach Hong has also struggled against African teams in international matches.

During his first stint leading the national team for about a year leading up to the Brazil World Cup, he recorded one win and three losses against African teams, including the defeat to Algeria.

In his current second stint, he has recorded one win and one loss.

While South Korea beat Ghana 1-0 in a home friendly in November last year, they suffered a shocking 0-4 defeat against Ivory Coast in a friendly match played in Europe this past March.

South Korea has often found itself helpless against the physical strength, speed, and unpredictable attacking rhythms of African teams.

This is why fans remain anxious, even though South Korea holds the upper hand and is facing the weakest team in the group.

Hong's squad needs to aim for an early goal.

South Africa conceded an opening match-winner to Julián Quiñones in just the ninth minute of their 0-2 loss to Mexico, and also allowed Michal Sadílek to score an early opener in the sixth minute of their 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic in the second match.

South Africa also conceded in the first half of all four of their matches at the Africa Cup of Nations, which concluded in January this year, before being eliminated in the Round of 16.

To breach South Africa's defensive line, South Korea may need to look back at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup match in June last year, where K League 1 side Ulsan HD faced Mamelodi Sundowns, a club that features many South African national team players.

South Africa's starting fullbacks are Aubrey Modiba and Khuliso Mudau, both of whom play for Mamelodi Sundowns.

Their goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams, also plays for the same club.

Both Mudau and Williams started in that match against Ulsan.

In that tournament, Ulsan suffered a fatal 0-1 defeat to Mamelodi—a team they had targeted for an easy win—which led to their group stage elimination.

It is good news for Hong's squad that South Africa's key midfielder Teboho Mokoena and attacking midfielder Themba Zwane (both from Mamelodi) will miss the third match due to yellow card accumulation and a red card in the first match, respectively.

As this is a must-win match, Coach Hong is expected to field his strongest starting lineup once again.

However, Coach Hong may deliberate until the last minute regarding the starting status and positioning of Son Heung-min (LAFC). While Son performed well as a lone striker in the first two matches by drawing defenders and creating space for his teammates, he has yet to score.

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