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South Korea to Skip Welcome Ceremony for World Cup-Eliminated Football Team

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • South Korea's national football team was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup group stage, leading to public anger.
  • Head coach Hong Myung-bo and eight players are scheduled to return to South Korea on June 30.
  • The South Korean Football Association has announced there will be no welcome ceremony for the team's return, a departure from tradition.

The South Korean national football team's exit from the 2026 World Cup group stage has sparked public outrage, prompting the South Korean Football Association to forgo a traditional welcome ceremony for the returning squad.

Head coach Hong Myung-bo, along with eight key players including Jo Hyeon-woo, Kim Min-jae, Hwang In-beom, Hwang Hee-chan, Paik Seung-ho, Kim Moon-hwan, Lee Kang-in, and Seol Young-woo, are set to arrive at Incheon International Airport on June 30. They are departing from Guadalajara, Mexico, and will transit through the United States.

This marks the first time since the 2002 World Cup, co-hosted by South Korea and Japan, that the national team will not receive a welcome ceremony upon returning from the global tournament. Even after a humiliating elimination in the 2014 World Cup group stage with one draw and two losses, a ceremony was still held.

The decision to skip the ceremony reflects the deep disappointment and anger felt by the public following the team's performance in the current tournament.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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