'Golden Boy' Lee Kang-in one yellow card away from missing round of 32 — South Africa match looms

A yellow card warning hangs over South Korea's squad ahead of its decisive group-stage finale.

Coach Hong Myung-bo's side takes on South Africa in Group A's third match Wednesday at 10 a.m. Korean Standard Time at Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe, Mexico — a result that will determine whether South Korea advances to the round of 32 at the 2026 North America World Cup.

The math is not entirely unforgiving. A draw would be enough to advance. However, a loss could drop South Korea to fourth in the group and leave it facing elimination depending on other results — giving the team no room to ease off.

Amid those stakes, Hong's side must also manage the bookings of several key players.

Three South Korean players picked up yellow cards across the first two matches. Left-footed center back Lee Ki-hyuk of Gangwon Province was cautioned in the opening match against the Czech Republic. In the second match against Mexico, "Golden Boy" Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain was booked in the fourth minute of the first half after stepping on Luis Romo's foot while attempting to win the ball, and Baek Seung-ho of Birmingham City was cautioned in the second half.

If any of the three pick up another yellow card against South Africa, they will be suspended and unable to play in the round of 32 even if South Korea qualifies.

Losing one or more of them would be a significant blow to the national team. Lee Ki-hyuk has locked down the starting left center back position, playing the full 90 minutes in both group-stage matches. Baek has also started both games alongside Hwang In-beom of Feyenoord.

Lee Kang-in has established himself as an irreplaceable asset for Hong's side, repeatedly threading incisive passes through opposition defenses. Against the Czech Republic, he completed 100 percent of his passes and created three scoring chances — one of which led to Hwang In-beom's equalizer, earning him an assist. Against Mexico, he posted an 88 percent pass completion rate and again created three goal-scoring opportunities.

The referee for the South Africa match will be Facundo Tello of Argentina, the same official who showed Lee Kang-in a yellow card at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

However, if Lee and the other booked players avoid a caution against South Africa, their accumulated yellow card count will reset to zero from the round of 32 onward.

Lee Kang-in played the full match against Mexico as one-third of an attacking trio alongside Son Heung-min of LAFC and Lee Jae-sung of Mainz.

After the match, Lee said he was deeply disappointed. "We prepared our best to win, so it's very frustrating," he said. "It's already in the past and we can't change it. I want the next match to come quickly so I can show a better performance and get a good result."

He added that the team needed to keep pushing. "I think we need to do better in the remaining matches, definitely reach the round of 32, and then show even better football to get to the round of 16, the quarterfinals, and keep going from there," he said. "Mexico also prepared very well — I think it was a match where both sides gave everything."

Lee said Mexico tightened up defensively after conceding the opening goal. "After the first goal, I think they were better organized and more focused on defense," he said. "That made it a bit harder for us to attack."

On receiving the yellow card, he said the booking caught him off guard. "It was obviously an unexpected yellow card, so it was a bit harder to be as aggressive afterward," he said. "But I wasn't rattled."

"I always think about how I can help the team as much as possible," he added. "I'll prepare well to contribute to the team again in the next match."