The South Korean national football team's hopes of advancing to the round of 32 are fading. On June 28, Croatia defeated Ghana 2-1 in the final match of Group L, leaving Croatia in second place with 6 points and Ghana in third with 4 points.

What's the current situation?

South Korea is currently in third place with 3 points. In the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the top 8 teams among the 12 group third-place teams will advance to the round of 32. Since Ghana has more points than South Korea, which has 3 points with 1 win and 2 losses, South Korea's chances of advancing are decreasing.

What does the Ghana match result mean?

If Ghana had won against Croatia, Croatia would have been in third place with 3 points, and South Korea could have been above them in the group standings due to a better goal difference. However, Croatia took the lead with a goal from Petar Susic in the 31st minute. Ghana's Derek Lukassen equalized in the 28th minute of the second half, but Nikola Vlasic scored the winning goal for Croatia 10 minutes later.

Upcoming match schedule

In another match played at the same time, England defeated Panama 2-0 with goals from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane. England is in first place with 7 points, and Panama has been eliminated from the tournament with 3 losses. As a result, South Korea has fallen to 8th place in the group standings. If any team in the K or J group matches scheduled for the next day surpasses South Korea, their chances of advancing to the round of 32 will be eliminated.

DateOpponentResult
2025-11-18Ghana1-0 win

Current league standings

League standing: 3rd, 3 points, 1 win, 0 draws, 2 losses, recent form LLW. Goal difference: 2 goals scored, 3 conceded (-1 goal difference). Title race: 6 points behind leaders Mexico.