The moment Hong Myung-Boho's elimination from the group stage of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup was confirmed, the Taegeuk Warriors, who had anxiously hoped for a miracle, were devastated at their accommodation. The Korean national soccer team was pushed out of 8th place, the Maginot line for advancing to the round of 32, in the competition between the top 3 in the group stage of the tournament on the 28th (Korean time) and confirmed to be eliminated. In this tournament, the 24 teams ranked 1st and 2nd in each group and the top 8 teams from the 3rd place in each group will advance to the round of 32. Korea, which ranked 3rd in Group A with 1 win and 2 losses (3 points), hoped to advance to the round of 32 until the last day of the group stage, but was ultimately frustrated. It was the 9th time in history and 8 years since the 2018 Russian competition that Korean soccer was eliminated from the group stage. When the South African game ended, Korea was ranked 4th out of the 12 teams that ranked 3rd in the group. Opta, a specialist in soccer statistics, predicted that Korea's probability of advancing to the round of 32 was high at 87%. The Athletic, a sports media outlet, predicted it to be a whopping 94%. However, over the past three days, Korea's chances for the round of 32 have fallen repeatedly. The miracle of the round of 32, which was close to torture, came in the group stage.