A World Cup 2026 manager has resigned from his position after his country exited the competition prematurely
Hong Myung-bo has stepped down from his role as South Korea boss following their World Cup 2026 group-stage exit. He becomes the fourth boss to leave their post after poor performances in North America.
South Korea got their World Cup 2026 campaign off to an excellent start when beating Czechia 2-1, but it was all downhill from there. Back-to-back 1-0 losses to Mexico and South Africa sealed their elimination, as they were not among the top eight third-place group finishers.
Many expected them to qualify for the knockouts and fans reacted angrily to their premature exit, starting a petition calling for Hong to be relieved of his duties.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung expressed his bewilderment at the early exit, too, calling for a probe into the reasons why. In a press conference in Mexico on Sunday, Hong confirmed that he would be stepping down.
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“Even though I am leaving the national team, I am not abandoning Korean football altogether,” Hong said. “I will cheer for the national team from the bottom of my heart and hope that the team will be trusted and loved by the people once again.”
Fans had lost faith in Hong, as evidenced by a petition calling for his resignation and the reform of South Korea’s national team. The petition read: “The Korea Football Association’s official selection process was effectively ignored, making it difficult to avoid criticism that the appointment was fundamentally illegitimate.
“Despite fielding what many considered the strongest squad in Korea’s World Cup history, the team finished with one win and two losses, placing third in the group.
“The performance against South Africa was so lifeless that it could be regarded as one of the worst displays by a Korean team in World Cup history.”
Hong’s popularity in South Korea plummeted so low that he has been reportedly banned from various shops and restaurants. President Lee’s admission on X was just as damning. He wrote: “I am not just taken aback by this unexpected outcome, I am utterly baffled.
“Once again, it has been proven that personnel decisions are everything. When loyalty and factionalism are valued over competence, and an incapable person is appointed as a leader, the outcome is as predictable as fire.”
This was Hong’s second stint as national team boss as he also guided them to the World Cup 2014 before resigning. His reappointment in 2024 sparked allegations of favouritism and a lack of transparency in the hiring process from Korean media, all of which Hong denied.
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