South Korea

AFC · Group A

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South Korea

Elo 1800 · 0.9% Champion

Tournament probabilities

Probability of reaching each round, from the Monte Carlo simulator.

Ratings

Elo1800

Base rating78

Attack78

Midfield76

Defense74

Goalkeeper76

Set pieces70

Penalties74

Form78

Volatility52

Squad depth72

Injury status86

Data quality84

Ratings

Analyst brief — South Korea going into Global Cup 2026

Editorial

Form

Hong Myung-bo era — qualified strongly but recent friendlies have been uneven.

Style

4-2-3-1 with Son Heung-min as #10 / wide-left; Hwang In-beom & Lee Jae-sung the midfield.

Squad

Son still elite at 33; Lee Kang-in the X-factor; Kim Min-jae world-class CB.

Tournament ceiling

Round of 16; Quarter-final possible.

Biggest risk

Son-reliance — if he doesn't produce, who creates?

Editorial analysis from public reporting going into the tournament. Not betting advice. Not a guaranteed prediction.

Group stage fixtures

Group A

Thu, Jun 11 · 02:00 UTC

43% conf

South Korea

Elo 1723

Czech Republic

Elo 1680

KOR 38%Draw 20%CZE 42%

South Korea live

Scoreline cluster 0-1 / 1-1 / 1-0 · top exact 9.0%

xG 1.51 – 1.60BTTS 60%·O2.5 60%

If it opens up: 2-2at 6.5%

Match details

Group A

Thu, Jun 18 · 01:00 UTC

44% conf

Mexico

Elo 1913

South Korea

Elo 1723

MEX 41%Draw 20%KOR 39%

Very balanced

Scoreline cluster 1-0 / 1-1 / 0-1 · top exact 8.8%

xG 1.59 – 1.54BTTS 61%·O2.5 61%

If it opens up: 2-2at 6.6%

Match details

Group A

Wed, Jun 24 · 01:00 UTC

46% conf

South Africa

Elo 1560

South Korea

Elo 1723

RSA 34%Draw 21%KOR 45%

South Africa live

Scoreline cluster 0-1 / 1-0 / 1-1 · top exact 11.4%

xG 1.27 – 1.53BTTS 54%·O2.5 53%

If it opens up: 2-2at 5.7%

Match details

Tactical profile

Pressing78

Possession pref.65

Directness65

High line70

Set-piece threat68

Slug · south-korea