South Korean president goes nuclear after FIFA World Cup flop show, demands investigation: ‘Favoritism and cronyism’

South Korea's early exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup triggered a wave of reactions across Chinese social media on Sunday, with some users teasing their East Asian rival underachieving, while some others expressed sympathy for one of Asia's established football powers.

South Korea opened its 2026 World Cup with a 2-1 victory over Czechia on June 11 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

South Korea's veteran skipper Son Heung-min, 33, may now have played his last World Cup.

After finishing third in Group A with three points on a win and two losses, Korea failed to crack the top eight among the dozen third-place teams Saturday.