Asia struggles in second round of World Cup group matches as Europe, South America come into form
As Europe's and South America's heavyweights shake off the fatigue of a long season and come into form as the World Cup continues, Asian teams, especially Korea, are struggling in the second round of group-stage matches, with no Asian squad except Japan having won its second game.
Son Heung-min is substituted off the pitch during a 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A match between Korea and Mexico at Guadalajara Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico, on June 18.XINHUA/YONHAP
Asian teams turned heads at the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, going unbeaten through their first six group-stage matches, but the second round has been an entirely different tournament.
Apart from Japan, no Asian team has won its second group-stage game, while the European and South American powers that stumbled in their openers seem to have rediscovered their form.
What explains the shift? The biggest factor is acclimatization. Asian squads generally gather well before the tournament to adjust to the time difference and local climate. Europe’s and South America’s heavyweights cannot come together so early due to their club calendars. As a result, they played their openers while carrying the fatigue of a long season, then came into form as the tournament continued. This “regression toward the mean” is the backdrop to their second-round revival.
Scouting plays a part as well. In their openers, Asian teams thrived by sitting in two compact defensive banks and springing counterattacks. The favorites are widely reckoned to have decoded that pattern within 48 to 72 hours and devised tailored responses, effectively erasing the element of surprise after the first match. Asian teams, which are thinner in squad depth, also have less room to adapt once the tactical picture shifts.
The home advantage is another factor. With Canada, Mexico and the United States sharing hosting duties, Asian teams were, in effect, playing away in the second round. Qatar lost 6-0 to Canada, Korea fell 1-0 to Mexico and Australia lost 2-0 to the United States.
No team has struggled in the second round quite as Korea has. Across 12 World Cup appearances, from the 1954 tournament in Switzerland to this one, Korea has never won its second group game, instead recording four draws and eight losses. Across those matches, it has scored 11 goals and conceded 32 and has never opened the scoring. The worst showings cluster there: a 5-0 rout by the Netherlands in 1998 and a 4-2 defeat to Algeria in 2014.
Korea’s second-game history may be more than bad luck. Once the opener is behind them, opponents adapt, and Korea’s plan is picked apart. The same pattern keeps repeating. It looks less like a curse than a structural trap.
Japan's forward Ayase Ueda, left, and Tunisia's defender Mohamed Ben Hamida fight for the ball during the 2026 World Cup Group F football match between Tunisia and Japan at the Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe, Mexico, on June 20.EPA/YONHAP
The final round of group games may bring some relief. Favorites that have already booked their place in the knockout stage tend to ease off in their last match, so weaker teams often fare better than they did in the second round. This is also the first 48-team World Cup, with the eight best third-placed squads advancing to a new round of 32. Now that third place is a real path through, goal difference and total goals matter almost as much as points. That raises the odds that weaker teams will sit deep and counter, playing the most pragmatic, results-first football.
Japan is the exception to Asia’s second-round slump. Of the nine Asian teams at this World Cup, Japan fields the highest share of Europe-based players, giving it tactical range and squad depth. Rather than buckling under the favorites’ data-driven adjustments, Japan answered with even sharper tactical changes of its own in its second game.
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This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
