South Korea HubThe South Korea national football team must simultaneously pursue a win against South Africa and manage caution accumulation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Lee Kang-in, Lee Ki-hyeok, and Baek Seung-ho will participate in the match against South Africa after already receiving a caution.
Targeting a win against South Africa
South Korea will secure second place in the group and advance to the round of 32 if they win or draw against South Africa, regardless of the result of the Czech Republic-Mexico match. However, if they lose to South Africa, they will have to wait and see the result of the Mexico vs Czech Republic match.
Managing caution accumulation
FIFA has revised the rules to minimize the situation where key players are absent from important tournament matches due to caution accumulation. In the previous World Cup, if a player received cautions in two different matches before the quarterfinals, they would be suspended for the next match. However, starting from the 2026 World Cup, the caution record will be reset twice.
| Player | Cautions |
|---|---|
| Lee Kang-in | 1 |
| Lee Ki-hyeok | 1 |
| Baek Seung-ho | 1 |
Referee for the South Africa match
The referee for the South Africa match is Argentine-born Facundo Tello. Considering his tendency, it is necessary to be cautious.
Current situation
League standing: 2nd in FIFA World Cup 2026, 3 pts, 1W-0D-1L from 2 games, recent form LW. Last result: South Korea 1-1 Jordan (2025-03-25).
