Key Takeaways:
- Hong Myung-bo announced his resignation as South Korea manager on Sunday after the team’s exit at the World Cup group phase
- South Korea picked up a 2-1 victory against the Czech Republic but suffered defeats to Mexico and South Africa
- South Korea did not reach the knockout rounds after failing to qualify as one of the eight best third-placed teams
Managerial Departure in Guadalajara
Hong Myung-bo officially stepped down as South Korea’s head coach on Sunday, addressing the media at the national team’s training camp in Guadalajara. The decision followed Saturday’s final group-stage results, which confirmed South Korea would not be progressing as one of the eight best third-placed finishers in the FIFA World Cup group stage.
🚨🚨| BREAKING: South Korea manager Hong Myung-bo has 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐄𝐃 following the team's group stage elimination at the 2026 World Cup. 👋🇰🇷
Korea failed to advance after two defeats in three games — President Lee Jae-myung publicly called Hong 'incompetent'.
{@lequipe} pic.twitter.com/pPRlXEseZd
— Goals Side (@goalsside) June 28, 2026
Addressing supporters, Hong stated: “I would like to sincerely apologise to the citizens who have loved Korean football and always supported the national team,” before confirming his resignation. He added, “Today, I wish to step down as head coach of the South Korean national football team. Accepting this role was never an easy decision for me. However, once I made that decision, I did not consider any other reasons. I believed my only task was to fulfil the responsibility entrusted to me to the end.”
Performance and Group Stage Analysis
Appointed in July 2024 following Jurgen Klinsmann’s tenure, Hong took charge with the aim of securing South Korea’s 11th consecutive World Cup finals appearance. Expectations surrounding the squad were high, given the presence of Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae in the side, and the nation’s group included co-hosts Mexico, the Czech Republic and South Africa.
South Korea commenced their World Cup campaign with a 2-1 triumph over the Czech Republic. However, subsequent losses to Mexico and South Africa left their qualification hopes reliant upon results from other groups. Unfortunately, these results did not favour South Korea, and they missed out on the last 32.
In his closing remarks, Hong stated, “I failed to deliver the results the public expected. The responsibility lies entirely with me.”
