There was no last-minute miracle for the Taeguk Warriors. After losing 1-0 to South Africa in their final Group A match, South Korea finished the group stage with three points, scoring two goals and conceding three for a goal difference of -1. Despite finishing third in the group, they still had a mathematical chance of moving up to the best third place.
That hope disappeared after the final round of group stage matches concluded on June 28.
In Group L, Ghana lost 2-1 to Croatia but still secured third place with four points, guaranteeing a place in the knockout stage. Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of Congo defeated Uzbekistan 3-1 in Group K to qualify directly, also reshaping the ranking among the top third-placed teams.
The updated table sees the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sweden, Ecuador, Ghana, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Paraguay all finishing with four points to comfortably secure qualification. Senegal took seventh place with three points and a goal difference of +2, while Iran occupied the eighth and final qualifying place with a goal difference of 0.
South Korea dropped to ninth in the best third-place rankings with three points and a goal difference of -1, leaving them just outside the qualifying zone and officially ending their World Cup campaign.
It was a heartbreaking ending for the Asian side. South Korea had opened the tournament with a promising 2-1 win over the Czech Republic, but suffered consecutive defeats against Mexico and South Africa, ultimately losing control of their destiny.
In the expanded format of the 2026 World Cup, 12 third-placed teams from the group stage competed for the eight remaining spots for the knockout stage. South Korea missed out on the final qualifying spot by just one goal on goal difference, ending their trip to North America early.
Sources: K14
