South Korea's round-of-32 hopes dim after Senegal rout Iraq 5-0

South Korea's bid to reach the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup grew significantly harder Saturday after Senegal crushed Iraq 5-0 in the Group I finale, leapfrogging South Korea in the wild-card standings.

In the other Group I match played Saturday (Korean Standard Time), France defeated Norway to clinch first place in the group. Senegal, playing with a numerical advantage for most of the match, overwhelmed Iraq 5-0.

Habib Diarra opened the scoring in the fourth minute, and Iraq's chances collapsed further when defender Levin Sulaka was sent off with a direct red card in the 13th minute. Senegal's attack then erupted in the second half, adding four more goals.

The victory lifted Senegal to three points and swung their goal difference from -3 to +2. South Korea, meanwhile, finished the group stage with one win and two losses — three points and a goal difference of -1 — and now trail Senegal in the wild-card race.

Having already lost any chance of automatic qualification after their defeat to South Africa, South Korea slipped another rung in the wild-card standings following Senegal's emphatic win.

However, their round-of-32 hopes are not entirely extinguished. Under the tournament's format, the top eight third-place finishers across all groups advance as wild cards. With several groups — from Group G through Group L — still to complete their final matches, South Korea's ultimate fate depends on how other third-place teams perform.

Hong Myung-bo's squad must now wait and watch as the remaining group-stage results come in. Senegal's win has made the arithmetic less favorable, but the final wild-card picture will not emerge until all group play is complete.