'Out with Hong Myung-bo': Korean fans rage at South Africa match after spending millions on tickets

Anger is boiling over among South Korean fans in the United States after the national team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, failed to advance to the round of 32 at the 2026 North America World Cup. With tickets purchased for millions of won now effectively worthless, a handwritten sign reading "Out with Hong Myung-bo" appeared inside the stadium.

The sign was spotted Sunday (Korean Standard Time) at Los Angeles Stadium in California, where South Africa faced Canada in a round-of-32 match — a game Korean fans had expected their own team to play.

Photos that spread across online communities showed a fan holding the sign while displaying a South Korean flag. Some foreign spectators nearby appeared amused, smiling as they looked on. The moment was captured on the stadium's large video board, reaching not only those in attendance but also viewers watching the broadcast.

Korean supporters and overseas Koreans who had traveled to the United States had widely expected the national team to advance comfortably to the round of 32, booking flights, accommodation and match tickets at a cost of millions of won. The team's early exit left them stunned.

Some fans who had purchased tickets anticipating South Korea would finish second in Group A and face Canada — the second-place team from Group B — found themselves watching the South Africa-Canada match instead.

Im Jae-woo, 29, who traveled from South Korea to cheer on the team, told Yonhap News Agency that he had planned to stay in Los Angeles through Sunday and had already booked his flights and accommodation. "I bought two tickets to Korea's round-of-32 match at 1.5 million won ($971) each, and there are no cancellations or refunds," he said. "I'm now stuck watching another country's game."

Lee Tae-hwa, 37, a Korean resident of Los Angeles, said he had spent about $1,200 on premium seats that turned out to be worthless. "The tickets can't be resold, so I'm just taking the loss," he said. "All my Korean friends here bought tickets too — none of us saw this coming."

World Cup tickets are generally non-refundable after purchase. Under FIFA rules, refunds are not permitted for a change of mind, and fans wishing to offload official tickets may only do so through resale.

However, once South Korea's elimination confirmed the Canada-South Africa matchup, resale prices tumbled. Before the group stage concluded, the lowest asking price for a round-of-32 ticket had surged to $1,900 on the back of Korean fan demand, but after the bracket was set, it dropped to $747.

Meanwhile, Canada defeated South Africa 1-0 in the round-of-32 match, with Stefan Eustaquio scoring a dramatic winner in the second minute of stoppage time.