South Korea faces calls for football overhaul after World Cup exit
Hong Myung-bo has resigned, but criticism of South Korea’s football leadership has intensified after the team failed to reach the World Cup knockouts.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
South Korea’s early exit from the 2026 World Cup has triggered demands for change across the country’s football leadership, AFP reported. Coach Hong Myung-bo resigned after the team failed to reach the knockout rounds, but anger from fans, former players and President Lee Jae Myung has kept pressure on the Korea Football Association.
South Korea, a 2002 World Cup semifinalist as co-host, went out in the first round after missing a place among the top eight third-place finishers. The decisive blow was a 1-0 defeat to lower-ranked South Africa in a match where South Korea needed only a draw to advance.
President Lee criticised “incompetent people” after the elimination and apologised to the nation, according to AFP. His remarks came amid long-running dissatisfaction with the way South Korean football has been run.
Group-stage collapse
South Korea had been expected to progress from Group A, which also included co-host Mexico, South Africa and Czechia. The team opened with a 2-1 win over Czechia, then lost 1-0 to Mexico before falling to South Africa.
Hong’s decisions came under sharp scrutiny, including his choice to leave captain Son Heung-min out of the starting lineup against South Africa. After the defeat, Hong said he was struggling to understand what had gone wrong while South Korea waited for other results that could have kept the team alive.
The elimination also raised questions about Son’s international future. AFP reported that the captain, who turns 34 next month, had previously suggested he could retire from national-team duty and had not yet commented on his plans.
Former players criticise leadership
Former South Korea captain Park Ji-sung said the result could be traced back over several years. “We may have expected this outcome years ago,” the former Manchester United midfielder said after the elimination was confirmed.
Park said South Korean football had failed to preserve lessons learned over a decade of World Cup preparation and player development. He called the repeated pattern “unfortunate” and said the country needed to build a better future step by step to avoid the same mistakes.
Lee Chun-soo, a member of South Korea’s 2002 World Cup squad, said on his YouTube channel that he felt “pathetic and frustrated” cheering for Uzbekistan against the Democratic Republic of Congo in the hope that another result would send South Korea through. “This is a message to change,” Lee said. “Everyone should be ready to step down.”
KFA under pressure
Much of the public criticism has focused on KFA president Chung Mong-gyu, AFP reported. Chung had said before the World Cup that he would quit after the tournament, citing his “lack of virtue” after fierce criticism of his 13-year tenure.
Chung, 65, is serving his fourth term as KFA president. He also faced criticism for trying to pardon former players who had been banned for life over match-fixing.
Hong had been a target of fan anger since returning as coach in July 2024, five months after the KFA dismissed former Germany international Jurgen Klinsmann. The KFA was criticised over the process that brought Hong back, with questions raised about fairness and transparency.
The team was expected to return home on Tuesday morning, but local media reported that the KFA did not plan to hold a welcome event. AFP noted that after South Korea’s group-stage exit at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, angry fans threw Korean candies at the squad, an act regarded as a serious insult.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.