The chances of the South Korean national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, advancing to the Round of 32 at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup have diminished further. With Ghana's victory—a scenario favorable to South Korea—falling through, the competition for third place in the group stage has intensified, leaving South Korea's fate dependent on the outcomes of remaining matches.

In this tournament, the top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams out of 12 groups, advance to the Round of 32 tournament. The rankings of third-placed teams continue to shift depending on the results of each group's final matches.

◆ Group H: The Only Group Favorable to South Korea The result South Korea had hoped for came from Group H. Spain defeated Uruguay 1-0, preventing Uruguay from adding any points, and South Korea managed to avoid dropping in the standings for the time being.

◆ Groups I and G: Unexpected Results Continue However, unexpected results emerged from Group I. Senegal, whose elimination had already been confirmed, thrashed Iraq 5-0, significantly improving their goal difference and moving ahead of South Korea in the standings. In Group G, the victory by Egypt that South Korea had hoped for did not materialize, as Egypt and Iran played to a 1-1 draw, eliminating another favorable scenario.

◆ Decisive Variable: Ghana's Defeat to Croatia Ghana, a competitor in Group G, lost their head-to-head clash with Croatia, completely shattering the flow South Korea had been hoping for. Had Ghana won, the landscape of the third-place battle could have shaped up favorably, but the opposite result further narrowed South Korea's possible scenarios. While Ghana maintained a position near the top of the third-placed standings and continued to compete for a Round of 32 berth, South Korea remained hovering around eighth place, placing them in an even more precarious position.

As of now, all the scenarios South Korea had pinned their hopes on from Groups D, E, F, G, and I have fallen through, with Group H being the only one that produced the desired result. Coupled with Ghana's defeat, assessments indicate that South Korea's chances of advancing to the Round of 32 have become slimmer than ever.

South Korea now needs the most favorable results to emerge consecutively from the remaining Group J, K, and L matches. With the battle for third-place rankings set to continue until the final matches, South Korea's fate effectively lies in the hands of results from other groups.

[This article was written with the assistance of AI. Match results and rankings may change depending on the progress of the tournament, so please refer to official records for confirmation.]