Son Heung-min Benched: South Korea on the Brink of Exit
South Korea coach Hong Myung-Bo benched Son Heung-min for the first time as Bafana Bafana won 1-0 to reach the knockouts and leave Korea on the brink.
South Korea coach Hong Myung-Bo took the gamble of the tournament and lost. The manager benched captain Son Heung-min for the first time in 13 World Cup games and watched South Africa beat his side 1-0 at the Group A decider on Wednesday 24 June. Thapelo Maseko's 63rd-minute strike sent South Africa into the knockouts as Group A runners-up. South Korea slipped to third and now wait on the other groups to learn whether they progress as one of the eight best third-placed teams
South Korea lost 1-0 to South Africa on 24 June 2026 in their final 2026 World Cup Group A match. Coach Hong Myung-Bo benched Son Heung-min, the first time South Korea started a World Cup match without him since 2010. Thapelo Maseko scored. South Korea sit third and await other groups' results.
Why was Son Heung-min benched against South Africa?
Hong Myung-Bo made the call before kick-off. Son started South Korea's opener against Czechia and the 1-0 loss to Mexico, but the captain had been substituted off in the 57th minute of the Mexico game with little impact in either match. Hong's plan against South Africa was to introduce Son later, when fresh legs could exploit space against a tiring opponent.
It was the first time since the 2010 World Cup that South Korea started a match without Son. The manager explained the thinking: Son would have more room to operate in the closing 45 minutes, by which point South Africa would have committed bodies forward.
The plan did not survive contact with the match. South Africa scored before Son's introduction, the captain came on at half-time, and Son's 29 touches in the second half delivered only one entry into the South African penalty area. The team that needed creativity could not find it.
How South Africa 1-0 South Korea unfolded
South Africa needed a result. Bafana Bafana came into the final group game knowing a win would send them through to the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time in the country's history. South Korea needed only a draw to be safe.
The match was tight through the first hour. Thapelo Maseko struck in the 63rd minute with a left-footed finish, the goal that turned the table on its head. South Africa moved second in Group A with the win. South Korea, who had beaten Czechia 2-1 in their opener and lost narrowly to Mexico, dropped to third.
The substitutions came too late. Son and the other two players Hong brought on in the second half could not produce a clean shot at the South African goal. South Korea ended the match watching Bafana Bafana celebrate qualification on the same pitch where the captain's record-chasing tournament had been stopped early.
What South Korea need to qualify from Group A
South Korea sit third in Group A on three points with a goal difference of minus one. They are currently fourth amongst the 12 third-placed teams, with eight of those slots qualifying for the round of 32 in the expanded 48-team World Cup format.
The next 48 hours of group-stage results across the other groups will decide South Korea's tournament. A handful of weak third-placed performances elsewhere would push South Korea into the qualifying eight. A run of better third-placed records across Groups B through L could push them out.
For Son Heung-min, the final group match was the first World Cup game South Korea started without him since 2010. He was 17 and not yet a senior Korea regular at the time. Whether he gets another start in this tournament depends on the next 48 hours of football and the call Hong Myung-Bo makes if the team survives the cut.