Korea's Worst World Cup Result Exposes Flaws in Soccer Association's Leadership

Clean house at KFA

Korea's worst World Cup result exposes flaws in soccer association's leadership

The nation had high expectations for the national team heading into the opening game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

South Korea fielded what was widely regarded as its strongest-ever squad, led by world-class players such as Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae and Lee Kang-in. Group A, which included South Korea, was considered relatively weak except for co-host Mexico.

However, at this World Cup, which for the first time featured an expanded 48-team field with 32 teams progressing to the next stage, South Korea failed to make it past the first hurdle, finishing 34th overall.

For South Korea, which has qualified for 11 consecutive World Cups since 1986, it was its worst-ever World Cup performance. In the previous World Cup finals that South Korea had qualified for, 32 nations competed.

Above all, South Korea's third group-stage match against South Africa was an abysmal display — arguably the worst performance in the country's World Cup history. The public was greatly disappointed by the Korean team's defeat.

It cannot be said categorically that the defeat was caused by the head coach and the Korea Football Association. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that there were major shortcomings in the coach's strategy, leadership and handling of the team, as well as in the KFA's administration and systems supporting everything from player scouting to the management of the national team.

Head coach Hong Myung-bo made the baffling decision to leave captain Son Heung-min out of the starting lineup against South Africa. Hong was disappointing in almost every respect, including player motivation, opponent-specific tactics and in-game crisis management. The Korean players looked strangely lethargic, and even as defeat loomed, Hong did not switch to a more attacking approach.

His abilities as head coach of the South Korean national team had already been tested once before the 2026 FIFA World Cup. When he was in charge of the national team at the 2014 Brazil World Cup, South Korea was eliminated in the group stage after posting a dismal record of one draw and two defeats.

At the time, the KFA's white paper cited "unchanging tactics and a lack of strategies for responding to different game situations" as reasons for the team's failure, and the same problems resurfaced at the 2026 World Cup.

Despite his shortcomings as a coach, which had already been exposed at the 2014 World Cup, the KFA rehired Hong as head coach of the national team in 2024, choosing him over numerous foreign candidates even though he had not gone through the proper interview process.

As controversy mounted over the fairness of his appointment, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism conducted an audit of the KFA, which revealed violations of the appointment procedures.

Despite the many problems that had come to light and the ministry's recommendation that the KFA impose severe disciplinary measures on its leadership, including President Chung Mong-gyu, Chung ran for a fourth consecutive term as KFA president in February last year and won by an overwhelming margin.

Around the time of Hong's appointment and Chung's reelection, criticism mounted that the extended Hyundai family was maintaining its grip on the KFA and that graduates of a particular university had monopolized key positions within the association, forming a cartel that fostered abuses of power and undemocratic decision-making.

The KFA turned a deaf ear to outside criticism of the cartel, dogmatically kept Hong Myung-bo in charge, and ended up posting disastrous results. Given that the popularity of the national team has long sustained the Korean soccer ecosystem, this World Cup elimination can only be seen as a grave warning sign for Korean soccer.