Hong Myung-bo's Squad Trains Silently While Calculating Scenarios

The South Korean national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, has quietly carried out what could be their final training session as they await the results of other matches to determine their fate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, having failed to secure a spot in the Round of 32 on their own.

The team held their training session at the Chivas Valle Verde training ground in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico.

The national team suffered a 1-0 defeat against South Africa in their third Group A match on June 25.

Although a draw would have been enough to advance to the Round of 32, the painful loss pushed South Korea down to third place in the group (3 points), leaving them at their base camp to anxiously wait for the outcomes of matches in other groups.

After taking a day off yesterday to regroup, the Taegeuk Warriors gathered at the training ground today to begin their scheduled session.

During the first 15 minutes of training, which were open to the media, the players started with light warm-ups, including forward and backward running and jumping, before moving on to passing drills and aerial ball handling to maintain their match fitness.

With the team pushed to the brink, there were no smiles to be seen during the session, but the players' shouts of determination remained as intense as ever.

In this tournament, the top eight teams among the 12 third-place finishers from each group will advance to the Round of 32.

South Korea is currently sitting in eighth place, right on the edge of the cutoff for advancing.

South Korea's fate will be decided by the results of the final group stage matches in Groups J, K, and L, which are taking place today.

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