Japan media says Korea football crisis runs deeper than coaching changes

Korea's national football team, which has come under heavy criticism after crashing out in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, has also received a scathing assessment from a Japanese media outlet. Japanese football outlet Football Channel on Friday included Korea in its feature titled "10 National Teams That Have Continued to Decline Since the Qatar World Cup — Complete Opposite of Japan." The outlet argued that while Korea reached the round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, it failed to advance beyond the group stage at the 2026 World Cup in North America, in stark contrast to Japan, which has continued its upward trajectory over the same period.

Football Channel identified the appointment of former head coach Jurgen Klinsmann as the beginning of Korea's decline. It noted that Klinsmann failed to win any of his first five matches in charge, getting off to an unconvincing start. Although results later improved, he drew widespread criticism for not residing in Korea and for failing to regularly attend K League matches.

The report said Klinsmann was dismissed after Korea'