South Korea lost 0-1 to South Africa in their final Group A match at the 2026 World Cup on June 24, failing to qualify directly for the knockout stage [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. The match took place with South Korea needing a win to advance automatically, but South Africa secured the victory with a strong defensive effort and a key goal.
South Africa scored in the 63rd minute when Thapelo Maseko converted an assist from Tshepang Moremi [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8]. South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams made several crucial saves as South Africa then focused on defending their lead [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
South Korea dominated possession but could not break down South Africa’s defense or convert scoring chances [4, 5, 6]. Coach Hong Myung-bo made a tactical change by dropping captain Son Heung-min from the starting lineup due to his poor form and low touch counts in previous matches, hoping to bring him on later against tired opponents [9, 10, 11, 6, 7]. Son, aged 33, was substituted into the second half but failed to help the team equalize [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].
The loss left South Korea with a 1-2 record in the group, placing them third behind Mexico and South Africa, who qualified as the top two teams [1, 2, 3, 6, 7]. Following the match, Hong accepted full responsibility, calling his tactical decisions mistakes in hindsight: "所有的責任都在我這個總教練身上。... 我是因為判斷錯誤才有這樣不好的結果" [4, 6, 7]. He explained, "我們的想法是，當對手體能開始下降、場上空間變得更多的時候，孫興慜能發揮更大威脅，因此讓他在最強狀態上場" [6].
South Africa coach Hugo Broos praised his squad’s discipline and unity, calling the win "an incredible achievement and emotional experience," saying, "我們在戰術上做得非常好，完全沒讓南韓找到他們想要的空間" [4, 5, 6]. Forward Thapelo Maseko described the victory as "unbelievable, like a dream," and thanked supporters [4]. South Africa advanced to the knockout stage for the first time in history with this result [4, 5, 6, 8].
South Korea now must wait on other group outcomes and hope for a favorable ranking among third-place teams to advance [1, 2, 3, 6, 7]. Fans are ironically rooting for Japan to defeat Sweden to improve South Korea’s chances of progressing as a best third-place side [12]. Mexico’s 3-0 win over Czech Republic on June 25 confirmed South Korea’s elimination from automatic qualification from Group A [6].
