South Korea's national football team was eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup after losing 0-1 to South Africa in their final Group A match. The defeat on June 25 at Monterrey Stadium left South Korea third in the group and out of the knockout stages.
The match was a must-win for South Korea to advance alongside Mexico. South Korea had shown major flair in their opener against Czechia but lacked quality in a follow-up loss to Mexico. South Africa, with one loss and one draw prior, needed a victory to keep their own knockout hopes alive.
How did South Korea's World Cup campaign unfold
South Korea currently sits 3rd in the World Cup standings with 3 points from 3 games, recording 1 win and 2 losses. They have scored 2 goals and conceded 3, resulting in a -1 goal difference. They trail group leaders Mexico by 6 points. Their recent form across the last five matches is 3 wins and 2 losses, but they have lost their last two matches, including the World Cup group stage defeats. The team's full schedule can be found on our fixtures page.
What were the details of the loss to South Africa
The match kicked off at 9 p.m. ET on June 24. South Korea struggled to find the cutting edge they displayed against Czechia, while South Africa secured their first win of the group stage. The fixture at Monterrey Stadium was available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer, though the service is geo-restricted to the UK.
How could viewers outside the UK watch the match
Joseph Green, Global Shopping Editor, said: "ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer." Viewers outside the UK could use a VPN, connect to a UK server, and access BBC iPlayer. ExpressVPN offers apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more. It has servers in 105 countries and allows up to 10 simultaneous connections. However, its 30-day money-back guarantee was not available for subscriptions purchased between June 10 and July 11 during the FIFA World Cup. During that period, users had to pay the monthly rate. Proton VPN still offered a money-back guarantee. A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN was on sale for $68.40 and included an extra four months free. A one-month plan cost $12.99.
What is next for South Korea
With their World Cup journey over, South Korea now looks ahead. Their next fixture is a friendly match against Ecuador at home on September 24, 2026. This will be the first test under a new cycle. The senior squad list and player statistics are available on our squad and stats pages. The final World Cup group standings can be viewed on our standings page. South Korea managed only 2 goals in their 3 group games, a key factor in their early exit.
