"No Need for Scenarios: A Draw or Win Against South Africa Will Do"... Hong Myung-bo's Team Has an Over 80% Chance of Finishing Second in the Group [2026 FIFA World Cup]

[Financial News] Even after playing well, one split-second lapse took everything away. Hong Myung-bo's team, which had been pressing Mexico hard despite the jeers of 40,000 fans, suffered a heartbreaking defeat. In the second Group A match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, held on the 19th at Estadio Akron in Zapopan, Mexico, the result was a 1-0 loss, a painfully narrow setback.
The overall performance was excellent, but football is ultimately a sport decided by goals. In the fifth minute of the second half, a costly mistake occurred as defender Lee Ki-hyuk and goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu collided while dealing with a routine ball. Luis Romo seized the opening and scored the decisive goal. South Korea's grim jinx against Mexico on the World Cup stage continued, with three straight losses and a record of never winning any of its 12 second group-stage matches, now standing at four draws and eight losses.
Had South Korea won that day, it could have become the first team in the tournament to clinch a place in the knockout stage, thanks to the earlier 1-1 draw between the Czech Republic and South Africa national football team. But Mexico now sits atop the group with two wins, while South Korea, with one win and one loss, must leave its fate in the final group match to the outcome of the third round.
The final showdown is just ahead. South Korea will face South Africa national football team in its last Group A match on the 25th. The situation is relatively clear. A win would send South Korea straight into the round of 32 in second place, setting up a clash with the Group B runner-up in Los Angeles (LA) on the 29th. Starting with this tournament, head-to-head results take priority over goal difference. That means even if South Korea draws with South Africa national football team, it will still finish second by overtaking the Czech Republic, which it beat in the opening match and which now has one draw and one loss.
In the end, there is no reason to juggle complicated calculations. The risky gamble of relying on scenarios should be erased from the team's mind entirely. The task is simple: beat South Africa national football team decisively and secure a round-of-32 ticket with the cleanest, most complete victory possible, leaving no room for outside variables. That is the only sharp and decisive winning formula Hong Myung-bo's team should be reaching for now.
jsi@fnnews.com Junsang Jeon Reporter