Today we’re talking about South Korea again, and this time it’s about the 2026 World Cup in the United States (and Canada and Mexico), because South Korea has taken its elimination pretty badly.
What happened Goguma? Did they really do that badly?
Well, the truth is their result wasn’t great. They were eliminated in the group stage after winning just one of their three matches, against the Czech Republic, but lost the next two against Mexico and South Africa, which knocked them out in the first round. Personally, I don’t think it’s that bad, because they were in a tough group against relatively strong teams, and with the 3 points they had, qualifying was still possible, although expectations were undoubtedly higher.
As it happens, coach Hong Myung-bo is one of the heroes who helped take South Korea to the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup, which they co-hosted with Japan, eliminating Spain in the quarterfinals in what was one of the biggest scandals in football history, after two legal Spanish goals were wrongly disallowed.
Okay Goguma, get over it, that World Cup in Korea was more than 20 years ago, focus and talk about the present.
Alright, let’s get to the point, I’ll talk about that match some other day. The news is that when the team arrived back in South Korea, journalists and protesters were waiting for them at the airport, chanting against the squad. The uproar has been so big that some restaurants have put up signs banning the coach from entering their premises.
Of course, the coach had to resign, and there’s now talk of a major overhaul of the South Korean national team. Many believe the success achieved back in 2002 has carried too much weight in staff selection until now, maybe they were good players, but nothing more.
So that’s it then? They got knocked out and some people with too much free time are furious. End of story?
Well, the thing is, it hasn’t stopped there. The coach was the first to resign, sure, but after that came a wave of resignations, all the way up to the president of the KFA (the Korean Football Association), who had been elected back in 2025 with 85 percent of the vote. Even President Lee Jae-myung weighed in on the matter, stating that “if you put incompetent people in charge, the result is exactly what you’d expect.” He now has to rebuild the entire federation before the Asian Cup, which will be held in January 2027. For the first time since 2002, there won’t be an official reception for the players, and as a result, the Korean Football Association is set to undergo a deep overhaul. Maybe this will help things improve going forward.
What’s your take on this, Goguma?
As someone who isn’t really a follower of modern football, I think the reaction from some Koreans is a bit over the top. The result wasn’t good, but the group they were in wasn’t easy either. I only caught part of the matches, and they didn’t play that badly. That said, it’s true that expectations were set a bit too high before the World Cup, and everyone assumed they’d make it past the group stage.
People seem to be using this as an excuse to kick someone while they’re down, venting pent-up frustration onto football and the players. If this is how Koreans are reacting, I have no idea what the Spanish or Italians should have done back in 2002 after losing to them.
So, do you understand South Korean society’s anger toward their football team? Do you think they’re overreacting?
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