The South Korean national football team, led by head coach Hong Myungbo, has been placed in a relatively favorable group in the draw for the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup.
On December 6 (Korean time), South Korea was assigned to Group A along with Mexico, South Africa, and the winner of the European Playoff (PO) Path D at the North and Central America World Cup group draw held at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, United States.
From head coach Hong Myungbo's perspective, this is considered a reasonably favorable group. For the first time in South Korean football history, Hong's squad was placed in Pot 2 for this draw. While the result of the Pot 4 draw was somewhat disappointing, the team had good fortune in the Pot 1 and Pot 3 draws.
Former NBA player Shaquille O'Neal is seen confirming after drawing South Korea, which was assigned to Pot 2, at the North and Central America World Cup group draw held at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, USA, on the 6th (Korean time). Photo by Reuters
First, although Mexico from Pot 1 is the toughest opponent among the three co-hosts, South Korea was fortunate to avoid the European and South American powerhouses currently ranked 1st to 9th in the FIFA rankings.
South Africa, assigned to Pot 3, is the lowest-ranked country in FIFA among those in that pot, making them a must-win target for Hong's team.
The outcome of the Pot 4 draw leaves something to be desired. Pot 4 included six countries that had already qualified, as well as six more to be determined through the intercontinental and European playoffs in March next year.
The six countries already qualified in Pot 4 are the lowest-ranked among the 48 teams participating in the North and Central America World Cup. These include Curacao and Cape Verde, both making their World Cup debut, as well as Haiti, New Zealand, Ghana, and Jordan. If South Korea had drawn any of these six in Pot 4, it would have been the best possible result, but unfortunately, that was not the case.
There was also hope that South Korea might face one of the six teams still competing for an intercontinental playoff spot-Iraq, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jamaica, Suriname, Bolivia, or New Caledonia-but that did not happen either.
Drawing a European playoff team is considered the worst-case scenario from Pot 4. Still, it is some relief that South Korea avoided Italy.
Four teams will qualify through the European playoffs, with 16 European countries, including Italy, currently in contention. In Path D, which South Korea will face, Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, and Ireland are competing. The winner of the Czech Republic vs. Ireland match will face the winner of the Denmark vs. North Macedonia match (both matches scheduled for March 26, local time) to determine who advances to the finals (March 31).
Hong Myungbo's squad will play their first match against the winner of European PO Path D at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico, on June 12, 2026 (Korean time). They will then face host nation Mexico at the same venue on June 19. The third match will be against South Africa at BBVA Stadium in Monterrey on June 25.
The teams in Group A will each play all three of their group matches in Mexico, without traveling to other countries.
The 2026 North and Central America World Cup will be held from June 11 to July 19 next year across 16 stadiums in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This will be the second time in history that the World Cup is co-hosted by multiple countries, following the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, and it will cover the widest geographical area ever.
The number of participating countries will increase significantly from 32 to 48. The teams will be divided into 12 groups of four for the group stage, with the top two teams from each group and the eight best third-placed teams advancing to the round of 32 knockout stage to determine the champion.
The South Korean national team, led by head coach Hong Myungbo, will be making its 12th appearance at the World Cup finals and its 11th consecutive appearance since the 1986 tournament in Mexico. The team will aim to achieve its best-ever result at an away World Cup by reaching the quarterfinals.
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