Is the South Korean team on the brink of elimination? Six teams have already claimed spots, leaving only a miracle for qualification: both final group conditions must be fully met.

On June 28 Beijing time, the final round of Group L in the World Cup concluded. The South Korean men's football team, anxiously awaiting their fate, received another piece of bad news. Among the 12 third-place teams in the groups, they have dropped to 8th place, hanging by a thread.

Originally, the most favorable result for South Korea in the final round of Group L would have been Ghana defeating Croatia. That way, Croatia, as the group's third-place team, would have at most 3 points and a goal difference of -2, allowing South Korea to surpass them. However, Croatia ultimately beat Ghana 2-1.

As a result, Croatia rose to second place in the group, while Ghana, though dropping to third, still secured qualification with 4 points and a goal difference of 0 among the 12 third-place teams.

With Ghana securing a spot in the knockout stage, among the 12 third-place teams, Sweden, Ecuador, Ghana, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Paraguay, and Senegal have already claimed knockout-stage tickets. Scotland and Uruguay, meanwhile, have been eliminated early.

Iran and South Korea, currently in 7th and 8th place, are still waiting for the final judgment. The situation is particularly dire for South Korea. The remaining two groups must both meet specific conditions for them to miraculously advance to the knockout stage.

First, in Group K, the Democratic Republic of Congo must draw with Uzbekistan, or Uzbekistan must beat the Democratic Republic of Congo by fewer than 6 goals. Second, in Group J, Austria must beat Algeria, or Algeria must beat Austria by 2 or more goals.

The final fate of the South Korean team will be revealed in a few hours.