The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) diagnosed that Korean football "needs rebuilding" as it reviewed the 2026 World Cup. It assessed that Korea needs a generational shift centered on Lee Kang-in, moving beyond the era built around Son Heung-min.
On the 24th (Korea time), FIFA looked back at the performances of the nine Asian nations that competed in the 2026 World Cup and presented challenges for each country.
Asia sent a record nine nations to this tournament, but only Japan and Australia advanced to the round of 32. Korea and Iran were eliminated as third place in their groups, while Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan finished at the bottom of their groups without a single win.
Korea, led by manager Hong Myung-bo, made a promising start by defeating the Czech Republic 2-1 in its opening match of the tournament. However, it then suffered consecutive 0-1 losses to co-host Mexico and South Africa, tasting the bitterness of group-stage elimination.
With this, Korea recorded its third group-stage elimination in the last four World Cups since the 2014 Brazil World Cup, which Hong also led.
FIFA assessed, "Following the disappointing result, manager Hong Myung-bo left the national team, and with Son Heung-min now 34 years old, Korea appears to need some degree of rebuilding."
It went on to advise, "To achieve results at the upcoming Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup and show a better form on the world stage in 2030, key talents like Lee Kang-in must step to the forefront."
At the 2026 World Cup, veteran stars around the age of 40 such as Lionel Messi (Argentina) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) still performed well, but FIFA effectively diagnosed that Korean football can no longer delay a generational shift to prepare for the post-Son era.
