ESPN gives South Korea a 'D-' for World Cup performance, citing Son's benching and rout by South Africa

South Korea, eliminated in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, received a 'D-' rating from American sports network ESPN.

On Sunday (local time), ESPN graded the performances of all eliminated nations on a scale from A to F, weighing pre-tournament expectations, in-tournament performances and other mitigating factors. The outlet noted that 47 of the 48 competing nations would end the tournament in failure, and that "not all failures are created equal."

The 'D-' assigned to South Korea sits just above the lowest grade of F. Countries that have so far received an F include Portugal, the Netherlands, Uruguay, Turkey, Tunisia and Qatar.

"The coach benched star player Son Heung-min, and South Korea were completely dominated in a 0-1 loss to South Africa," ESPN said.

ESPN went on to say that South Korea avoided an F thanks to its win over the Czech Republic and its performance against Mexico, noting that a draw against Mexico would have been possible had it not been for what it called the tournament's best double save by the Mexican goalkeeper.

South Korea finished Group A with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic and a 0-1 loss to Mexico. A draw in their final match against South Africa would have been enough to advance as group runners-up, but a 0-1 defeat dropped them to third. They also failed to qualify as one of the top eight third-place finishers, sealing their elimination. Head coach Hong Myung-bo resigned immediately after the tournament.

South Africa, which advanced from the same group at South Korea's expense, received a 'B.' ESPN said South Africa dominated both the Czech Republic and South Korea not by increasing possession but by making the most of the ball when they had it. While they struggled against Canada, ESPN praised the fact that the team — ranked lowest among the round-of-32 qualifiers by statistical models — had survived.

Traditional powerhouses also fared poorly in ESPN's assessments.

Brazil, eliminated by Norway, received a 'D-.' ESPN said Brazil never once played a cohesive 90-minute match against a decent opponent, calling them "the most forgettable Brazil team I've seen at a World Cup."

Portugal, beaten by Spain, was given an F. ESPN said Portugal sacrificed its best chance at a first World Cup title to give 41-year-old striker Cristiano Ronaldo more opportunities to score.

The Netherlands, eliminated by Morocco on penalties, also received an F. Despite scoring eight goals in the group stage, the Dutch managed only six shots in 120 minutes against Morocco. ESPN directed its criticism at manager Ronald Koeman, saying, "You can't blame the players. The manager made them fail."