Son Heung-min’s South Korea finished third in Group A, behind Mexico and South Africa. | Photo Credit: AP

South Korea succumbed to a 0-1 loss at the hands of South Africa in their FIFA World Cup Group A encounter in Monterrey to drop out of the top two in the group standings.

A second-half goal from Thapelo Maseko proved to be the clincher for the African side which qualified into the knockouts for the first time ever.

All is not lost for Taegeuk Warriors, who still remain with a chance to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams. Korea is currently fourth among the third-placed teams and will have to wait for results from the remaining groups to confirm its position in the top eight.

As things stand, Bosnia and Herzegovina (four points) is guaranteed to finish above South Korea. Similarly, Scotland will finish below it due to a worse goal difference.

The remaining nine teams are still in contention to finish above the Koreans.

Published on Jun 25, 2026