Fan's prediction that Hong Myung-bo would bench Son Heung-min goes viral after South Korea's World Cup loss

A social media post predicting that Son Heung-min would be left out of the starting lineup has gone viral after South Korea's shock 0-1 loss to South Africa in their Group A finale at the 2026 FIFA World Cup — a defeat that has reignited calls for coach Hong Myung-bo to be held accountable.

The post, published on Blind — an anonymous workplace community app — before Wednesday's match, was titled: "I wonder if Hong Myung-bo's ego is so big that he'll drop Son from the starting XI." After the prediction proved correct, users flooded the comments with reactions including "I've come on a pilgrimage" and "Please make me win the lottery."

The author, identified only as user A and listed as a Hyundai Motor Company employee on the platform, raised the possibility of Son being dropped around 6 a.m. Korean Standard Time on Wednesday — before the starting lineup for the South Africa match was announced.

"It was the same during the pre-World Cup friendlies, and he stuck with the three-back system in both group stage matches — without changing it even mid-game," user A wrote. "Someone with this much ego, who is getting this much criticism right now, probably thinks restoring his own pride is the most important thing."

User A went on to predict that Hong, driven by what they called a "great-coach complex" and his ego, would bench Son and start Oh Hyeon-gyu up front in a bid to vindicate himself in one stroke — only to bring Son on as a substitute in the second half.

"This is just a thought that popped into my head, but I hope I'm wrong," user A added.

The prediction proved accurate. Hong dropped Son — the team's most important player — from the starting lineup and deployed him as a substitute off the bench.

At 8:49 a.m. the same day, user A shared a breaking news headline reading "[BREAKING] Son Heung-min on the bench … Oh Hyeon-gyu leads the line against South Africa, Lee Kang-in and Hwang Hee-chan behind," and commented: "A bad feeling is never wrong."

The match unfolded much as feared. South Korea were dominated by South Africa throughout the first half, and although Son came on as a substitute in the second half, the team conceded a painful goal and lost 0-1.

After the final whistle, users returned to user A's post in droves, leaving wishes such as "I've come on a pilgrimage," "Please bring me great fortune," "Please let me pass my job interview," "Please make my ex contact me," and "Please make me win the lottery."

Meanwhile, Hong's decision to leave Son out of the starting lineup has drawn a wave of criticism since the final whistle.

Shin Moon-sun, a football commentator and professor at Myongji University, said on CBS Radio's "Park Jae-hong's One-Round Bout" on Wednesday night that the tactical weaknesses of South Korea's three-back system were known worldwide. "South Africa coach Hugo Broos laid out at a press conference on Wednesday exactly how he planned to take Korea apart," Shin said. "He made clear they had prepared to exploit the wide spaces that Korea's three-back gives up on both flanks."

"What was even more shocking was dropping Son Heung-min and sending him to the bench," Shin added. "That defies common sense."

Shin said Hong's player selection was the decisive blow in the defeat. "The opposing team was waging that kind of psychological warfare — exploiting the three-back's weakness — and Hong was out there saying he would 'change the positions of three or four players.' The moment those words came out, do you think Lee Jae-sung and Son Heung-min slept well? Do you think they could digest their food?"

Shin said that if he were Son, he would have felt humiliated. "What would his teammates and younger players think?" he said, arguing that Hong's treatment of the team's ace was one of the reasons the squad could not perform at full capacity.

Foreign media also raised questions.

The Athletic called Son's omission from the starting lineup "the shocking news that emerged before kickoff," adding: "On paper, the lineups suggested the gap between the two sides would be apparent from early on. Korea boasts star players active in the world's top leagues, while only seven of South Africa's 26-man squad play in leagues outside Korea."

The BBC noted that South Korea "showed none of the fluid attacking football they had displayed against the Czech Republic in their opening match, instead looking toothless." It added that Son, introduced at halftime, "was barely noticeable and recorded just one touch in the South Africa penalty area."

"Is this why the players weren't moving?" — a video of Hong Myung-bo resurfaces, in which he says "you have to wait with patience."