Republic of Korea players during a training session ahead of the match against South Africa. PIC: (AFP)
DOHA: Republic of Korea and South Africa will battle for a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout stages when they meet in the final Group A fixture on Thursday at Monterrey Stadium.
The match, scheduled for 4:00am (Qatar time), is expected to play a crucial role in determining the outcome of a tightly contested group that also features Mexico and Czechia.
Both teams enter the encounter with confidence following positive results in their opening matches. The Republic of Korea secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Czechia, while South Africa suffered a 2-0 defeat to Mexico but showed signs of improvement as the match progressed.
The Koreans produced a disciplined display against Czechia to claim three valuable points and move into a strong position ahead of their last group clash. Head coach Hong Myung-bo praised his side’s effort but stressed that the job is far from complete.
“South Africa is a team with good speed,” Hong said. “We need to prepare tactically well.”
The former international defender also highlighted the importance of analysing the opposition carefully before finalising his plans for the match.
“Game three is a very important and difficult match,” he added.
Korea defender Kim Min-jae echoed his coach’s determination, insisting his side will approach the contest with only one objective.
“You have to win the match against South Africa,” Kim said. “I will definitely win and bring three points.”
Lee Han-beom also dismissed any suggestion that Korea could settle for a draw.
“The players absolutely do not have the mindset that we can settle for a draw against South Africa,” he said. “There is no complacency, and we are preparing with the determination to win.”
South Africa, meanwhile, know they must produce a strong performance to keep their hopes of progressing alive with just a single point to their credit. They lost to co-hosts Mexico in their tournament opener and played out a 1-1 Czechia.
South Africa coach Hugo Broos remained optimistic ahead of his team’s last group match.
“Republic of Korea are different from Mexico and Czechia; they are a disciplined team,” Broos said. “It is the characteristic of Asian teams that they are always disciplined, and you saw that in the game they played against Czechia.”
The Belgian coach expects a different challenge from the one his team faced against Mexico, pointing to Korea’s organisation and work rate as key strengths.
South Africa captain Ronwen Williams remains confident that his side can rise to the occasion.
“Going into the next game, we will be positive,” Williams said. “We just have to believe until the end.”
