Korea Stronger in 4 Years... "Kim Min-jae, Hwang In-beom, Cho Gue-sung, Lee Kang-in in Their Prime"

Foreign Media Rates South Korea 'B+' in 2026 World Cup Outlook
Second Highest Among AFC Nations... Japan Tops with 'A'

On the morning of the 3rd (Korean time), the national team players who secured victory in the third match of Group H between South Korea and Portugal at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, during the 2022 Qatar World Cup group stage, celebrated and took a commemorative photo on the field. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] As the journey of the national football team in the 2022 Qatar World Cup has ended, positive prospects followed for the CONCACAF tournament to be held four years later.

On the 9th (Korean time), the global sports channel ESPN predicted the future of the six Asian Football Confederation (AFC) countries that participated in this Qatar World Cup under the theme "Which team among Asia's FIFA World Cup competitors will rise the highest in 2026?"

ESPN first analyzed, "By 2026, Korea's star Son Heung-min (Tottenham) will be 34 years old," adding, "He can still show world-class performance, but will likely need more support than now." They also evaluated, "Fortunately for the Taegeuk Warriors, this tournament showed that there are several promising young players," calling it "a wonderful thing from a long-term perspective."

They also mentioned players who stood out in this tournament. ESPN said, "Central defender Kim Min-jae (Napoli) and midfielder Hwang In-beom (Olympiacos) will be in their prime at 30 years old in the next World Cup," and "Striker Cho Gue-sung (Jeonbuk), who scored two goals against Ghana, is one year younger (by age)."

They continued, "Wonderkid Lee Kang-in (Mallorca) will still be only 25 years old four years later," explaining, "It would be ideal if he gains more experience at European clubs." They added, "If more gems can be discovered in the coming years, it will be helpful for Korea."

ESPN's final evaluation of Korea was 'B+,' the second highest among the six AFC countries after Japan. Japan received an 'A.' Japan was the only AFC country to advance to the round of 16 as group winners with 2 wins and 1 loss, but unfortunately lost in a penalty shootout against Croatia, failing to reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in history. Australia received the same B+ as Korea, followed by Saudi Arabia (B), Iran (B-), and Qatar (C).

This forecast by ESPN was based on the number of players under 30 and those over 30 years old four years later among the 26 players in each country's final squad for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Among the 26 Korean national team players who participated in this World Cup, 12 will be under 30 years old and 14 will be over 30 years old four years later.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.