As the FIFA World Cup North America tournament approaches its final stages, according to Taiwan's Liberty Times, U.S. sports media ESPN evaluated the teams that have already been eliminated and rated South Korea as the second most shocking upset after Uruguay.

Uruguay (world ranking 16th) in Group H of the group stage drew with Saudi Arabia (61st) in the first match and Cape Verde (67th) in the second match respectively, lost 0-1 to Spain in the final match, accumulating only 2 points, and were eliminated from the group stage for the second consecutive tournament. They were the only South American team that failed to advance to the Round of 32.

South Korea was expected to advance to the Round of 32 based on pre-tournament predictions. However, after defeating the Czech Republic in the first match of Group A of the group stage, they suffered consecutive losses to Mexico and South Africa, finishing 3rd in their group, and failed to qualify as one of the top 8 third-placed teams in each group, which is a condition for advancing to the Round of 32. Their final ranking was 34th out of 48 teams, marking the worst performance in the team's history. ESPN also mentioned the generational change challenges faced by the South Korean national team, and noted that their spiritual leader Son Heung-min will be 37 years old when the next World Cup is held. (Translated and Edited by Yanagawa)