As Korea loses, fried chicken wins with fans flocking to shops around Gwanghwamun

As Korea's campaign at the FIFA World Cup 2026 imploded in spectacular fashion with a 1-0 loss to South Africa sending the side to third place in Group A, fans in Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul were full of despair — and fried chicken.

Crowds gathered at the square to watch the Taeguk Warriors' last match in Group A, which kicked off at 10 a.m in Korea. Before kickoff, quite a few spectators went to the nearby branches of KFC and the Korean fried chicken chain Mom’s Touch.

Both stores had opened earlier than usual, at 8 a.m., for the cheering crowd.

“Fried chicken is the only thing that comes to mind when cheering,” Ham Dong-won, who took a day off for the match, told the Korea JoongAng Daily after placing an order at KFC. “Fried chicken is like a symbolic food when watching football.”

When the match started, supporters in designated areas started enjoying fried chicken and beer, the classic combination that goes by the name chimaek, as they watched Korea’s worryingly vulnerable defense nearly concede the opening goal in the first half.

Some fans brought their to-go KFC orders, and one group placed a delivery order and received it in the middle of the crowd.

“Fried chicken is what I usually enjoy,” said Hong Jun-gi, the fan who ordered the chicken. “Chicken and beer have become the go-to combination for watching football.”

Hong also drank beer with fellow supporter Park Mon-seo.

“Everyone in Korea eats a lot of fried chicken,” Park said.

Fried chicken sales have surged on the back of the World Cup, with BHC reporting that sales during the week of Korea's opening group stage match against Czechia on June 12 rose 45 percent from the same period a week earlier. The trend continued during the match against Mexico on Friday, as sales rose 46.8 percent compared with a typical Friday in June.  

At a GS25 convenience store near the square, sales of nonalcoholic beer on June 19 surged 676.4 percent from the previous day.

Elsewhere in the crowd, fans were drinking soda and other beverages. One fan also came prepared with two bottles of wine.

Along with Korean fans, there were plenty of foreigners staunchly supporting the Taeguk Warriors as they indulged in some local food and drinks.

“I want to support Korea,” said Juliana Raymundo, a student at Yonsei University from Brazil. “I’m from Brazil, so we are very passionate about football. I think it’s a great opportunity if it’s here, you need to check it out.”

She and her friends were enjoying some Korean snacks throughout the game.

“We’re enjoying some garlic snacks, they’re really good, and some coffee — coffee is always a must.”

Over on the other side of the square, there was a fan from New York supporting Korea in Thursday’s game.

“I’m pulling for the U.S.A., but I’ve been living here for the past eight years, so I’m happy to root for [Korea] as well,” Brandon Lopez said.

He was cautiously optimistic about the game, aware of the risks the side faced and careful not to underestimate South Africa.

“It’s going to be a tough one today, but I think they’re going to persevere. I’m hoping for a draw, but it’s going to be a tough battle,” he said.

Win or lose, Lopez, his friends and family would be enjoying food and drink after the match.

“Some soju, some beer and some barbecue,” he said.

Thursday’s match also saw Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon rooting for Korea at the square alongside South African Ambassador to Korea Sindiswa Ntombolimo Mququ, who watched her country triumph 1-0 at the end.

When the referee blew the final whistle, a collective groan went around the square, although the loss did not automatically mean the end of Korea’s World Cup run. The national squad now must wait for results from other groups to see if they can place in the top eight third-placed teams and reach the Round of 32.

And fried chicken franchises will be ready.

 BY PAIK JI-HWAN, FERGUS GOODALL SMITH [[email protected]]