The South Korean national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, fell to South Africa 0-1 in the final Group A match of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup group stage, finishing third in the group and failing to advance to the round of 32 on their own.

In the third and final Group A match held on the 25th Korean time, South Korea suffered a shocking 0-1 defeat to South Africa. Both teams ended the first half in a 0-0 draw, maintaining a tightly contested flow, but the dynamics shifted in the second half.

On this day, South Africa relentlessly targeted the Korean goal with several threatening shots on target. South Korea, which had been preventing goals with goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu's brilliant saves, ultimately conceded the decisive goal to Taphelo Mashego in the second half and bowed out. Korea also attempted multiple attacks but failed to find the back of the net, ending the match scoreless.

Coach Hong Myung-bo opted for changes in this match, deploying Oh Hyun-gyu as the lone striker and starting captain Son Heung-min on the bench. In the second half, he successively brought on Jens Castrop for Lee Tae-seok, Kim Jin-gyu for Paik Seung-ho, and Son Heung-min for Hwang Hee-chan, increasing the team's attacking numbers, but they ultimately could not produce an equalizer.

South Korea had defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 in their first match, but following a 0-1 loss to Mexico in the second match, they also fell to South Africa 0-1, finishing the group stage with one win and two losses (three points). Although they were tied on points with South Africa, they dropped to third in Group A due to the head-to-head rule.

Having lost to South Africa, a team considered to be of a lower caliber, failing to secure automatic advancement to the knockout stage, and delivering a performance that fell short of expectations, the national team is expected to face criticism from fans and experts. Meanwhile, in another match in the same group that day, Mexico secured a 3-0 victory over the Czech Republic.