South Africa defeated South Korea 1-0 on June 24 in a decisive Group A match at the 2026 World Cup, securing its first-ever knockout stage qualification [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. The winning goal came in the 63rd minute from Thapelo Maseko, assisted by Tshepang Moremi [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8]. South Korea dominated much of the possession but failed to break through South Africa’s disciplined defense [4, 5, 6].

South Korea’s coach Hong Myung-bo made a tactical decision to drop captain and star forward Son Heung-min from the starting lineup due to his weak form across the first two group matches, where Son registered only 37 and 19 touches respectively, the lowest of the starting attackers [9, 10, 11]. Instead, Wu Hyun-gyu led the attack in a 5-2-3 formation that limited Son’s impact as a center forward [9, 10, 11]. Son entered the game as a substitute in the second half but was unable to help South Korea find an equalizer [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].

After the match, Hong accepted full responsibility for the loss, saying, "All the responsibility is on me as the head coach" and explaining his decision to hold Son in reserve until the opposition tired to maximize his threat [4, 5, 6]. South African coach Hugo Broos praised his team’s tactical execution, calling the win a "wonderful experience" and noting they completely closed South Korea’s attacking spaces [4, 5, 6]. Maseko said he felt like he was dreaming and thanked supporters, calling the victory historic [4, 5].

With the defeat, South Korea finished third in Group A with 3 points from 1 win and 2 losses, losing direct qualification to the round of 32 to Mexico and South Africa, who advanced directly [1, 2, 3, 6, 7]. However, South Korea still has a chance to progress as one of the best third-placed teams, depending on other group results [1, 2, 3, 6, 7]. Fans of South Korea were reportedly seen supporting rival Japan in their upcoming match against Sweden to help improve South Korea’s chances of advancing [12].

South Korea will wait for the completion of other group matches to see if their bid to reach the knockout phase as a best third-placed team succeeds.