Hong Myung-bo's side was eliminated in the group stage of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, failing to reach the round of 32.
The Korea men's national soccer team led by coach Hong Myung-bo was confirmed eliminated on the 28th (Korea time) after completing all Group K matches in the group stage and slipping outside eighth place, the cutoff for the round of 32, in the ranking battle among third-place teams.
It is the first time in eight years since the 2018 Russia World Cup that Korean soccer has failed to advance from the World Cup group stage.
After reaching the round of 16 at the 2010 South Africa World Cup and the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the team aimed for its third-ever and second straight advancement to the knockout stage on foreign soil, but fell short.
Korea's group-stage eliminations at the World Cup came in 1954 Switzerland, 1986 Mexico, 1990 Italy, 1994 United States, 1998 France, 2006 Germany, 2014 Brazil, 2018 Russia, and this marks the ninth time.
Depending on the remaining Group J results, Korea will finish the tournament in either 33rd or 34th place.
This North and Central America World Cup is the first tournament in which the number of participating nations expanded from 32 to 48. Even so, Korea did not advance from the group stage and effectively received a disappointing report card tantamount to failing to reach the finals under the previous 32-team format.