Hong Myung-bo's Team Faces Narrow Defeat, Still in Contention for Round of 32 with Draw Against South Africa

South Korea suffered a defeat against co-host Mexico today, meaning the team can no longer finish first in its group for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America.

However, the possibility of advancing to the Round of 32 remains.

The South Korean national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, lost 0-1 to Mexico after conceding a painful winning goal to Luis Romo in the 5th minute of the second half during their second Group A match held at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, on June 19 (Korea Standard Time).

South Korea, which secured a 2-1 comeback victory against the Czech Republic in its first match, now holds a record of one win and one loss (3 points) but maintains second place in the group.

Mexico, which defeated South Africa 2-0, has secured two consecutive wins (6 points) and became the first of the 48 participating teams to clinch both the top spot in the group and a berth in the Round of 32, regardless of the result of their remaining match against the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic (2 goals scored, 3 conceded) and South Africa (1 goal scored, 3 conceded), which drew 1-1 earlier today, are now tied with one draw and one loss (1 point) each, occupying third and fourth place respectively based on goal difference.

South Korea will play its final group stage match against South Africa at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico on June 25 at 10:00 a.m.

At the same time, the Czech Republic and Mexico will face off at Mexico City Stadium.

In this tournament, where 48 countries are divided into 12 groups of four, the top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the Round of 32 knockout stage to compete for the title.

If two or more teams are tied on points in the group stage, the "head-to-head" rule—based on points, goal difference, and goals scored among the tied teams—is applied first.

If the tie persists, rankings are determined by the overall goal difference, total goals scored, fair play points, and finally, FIFA rankings from all three group stage matches.

This is why South Korea cannot finish first even if it beats South Africa in the third match and Mexico loses to the Czech Republic, resulting in both South Korea and Mexico finishing with two wins and one loss.

Currently, South Korea is the only team among South Korea, the Czech Republic, and South Africa that can secure second place in the group on its own merits.

South Korea only needs a draw against South Africa to secure second place.

However, if Hong Myung-bo's team loses to South Africa, it could face a worst-case scenario of finishing fourth in the group and being eliminated.

If the Czech Republic defeats Mexico and South Africa beats South Korea, both the Czech Republic and South Africa would finish with one win, one draw, and one loss, while South Korea would finish with one win and two losses.

Of course, even if South Korea loses to South Africa, if the Czech Republic fails to beat Mexico, South Korea could still have a chance to advance to the Round of 32 as the third-placed team behind Mexico and South Africa.

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