Korean football, which has qualified for the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time, is being ignored even in Asia.
The South Korean national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, defeated Kuwait 4-0 in the final match of Group B of the 2026 International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) North and Central America World Cup Asian third qualifying round held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the evening of the 10th.
Korea finished the last qualifying match with a victory, concluding the second and third qualifying rounds of the North and Central America World Cup with 11 wins and 5 draws. This is an achievement not seen in 16 years since the 2010 South Africa World Cup.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is conducting a fan vote for the Best 11 in the final qualifiers, selecting 36 players who have performed in various countries to commemorate the end of the third qualifying round in Asia. Fans are encouraged to build a team of the best players.
The trio of Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, and Lee Kang-in, who are key players for Korea, were naturally included. However, overall, Korea did not receive treatment that matches its status of qualifying for the World Cup 11 times in a row and going undefeated. Among the nominees, there were only 5 Korean players, including Bae Jun-ho and Lee Jae-sung.
Among the 5 goalkeeper nominees, there was no name for Korean goalkeeper Jo Hyun-woo. In fact, even Indonesia's Maritons Pas was among the nominees. It doesn't make sense for Jo Hyun-woo to be excluded based on skill or team achievements. Even if Jo Hyun-woo wasn't selected for the Best 11, he shouldn't have been omitted from the nominees list.
The same applied to the defensive sector. Only Kim Min-jae was nominated from Korea. In fact, two players from Indonesia were chosen, as well as players from Palestine and China. This is a contentious selection that can only be seen as the AFC disregarding Korea.
In the midfield as well, Lee Jae-sung, Lee Kang-in, and Bae Jun-ho were selected, but it is puzzling that Hwang Hee-chan's name is missing. Recently, Bae Jun-ho has performed well, but looking back at the entire third qualifying round, Hwang Hee-chan's contributions cannot be overlooked. This is evidence that the AFC selected nominees without a solid basis.
In the attacking institutional sector, there is only Son Heung-min as a nominee from Korea. Names like Oh Hyun-kyu and Joo Min-kyu were absent. Even Kuwait, which suffered a complete defeat to Korea, produced Yousef Naser. This selection is absurd.
[OSEN]