In World Cup history, Asian teams have found their toughest opponents not in Europe or South America, but in North and Central America. With 11 losses in 13 encounters, this has been a persistent challenge. South Korea, despite their recent victory over the Czech Republic, couldn’t break this jinx against Mexico.
On June 19, the South Korean national soccer team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, suffered a 0-1 defeat to Mexico in their second group stage match of the 2026 International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup. The game took place at Guadalajara Stadium near Zapopan, Mexico.
Statistics from Opta reveal a stark reality: Asian Football Confederation (AFC) teams have faced Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) teams 13 times in World Cup history, managing only one win and one draw against 11 losses.
The sole victory for an Asian team against North American opposition came in the 1998 World Cup in France, when Iran upset the U.S. 2-1 in the group stage.
South Korea, despite being the most frequent World Cup participant from Asia, has yet to secure a win against a North or Central American team.
In the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, which they co-hosted, South Korea drew 1-1 with the United States. However, they’ve lost all three encounters with Mexico.
The Taeguk Warriors fell to El Tri 3-1 in France ’98 and 2-1 in Russia 2018. Despite aiming for redemption in this North American tournament, a single lapse led to a heartbreaking 0-1 defeat.
Japan, often considered Asia’s soccer powerhouse, has also struggled against North and Central American teams on the World Cup stage.
In their World Cup debut at France ’98, Japan lost 2-1 to Jamaica. More recently, in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, despite dominating possession against Costa Rica, a crucial error by defender Maya Yoshida resulted in a 0-1 loss.
In another Group B match of this North American World Cup, Qatar, reduced to nine men after receiving two red cards, suffered a humiliating 0-6 thrashing by Canada.
One more clash between Asian and North American teams remains in this tournament’s group stage. Australia, competing in Group D, will face the United States at 4:00 a.m. (Korean time) on June 20 in Seattle, Washington.