Even Without Reaching the Round of 32, Hong Myungbo's Squad to Receive 80 Million Won per Player in Rewards

Basic Allowance of 50 Million Won Plus 30 Million Won Victory Bonus
Round of 32 Bonus of 1 Billion Won Canceled Due to Unmet Conditions

Players of the South Korean national football team led by coach Hong Myungbo, who failed to advance past the group stage of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, are expected to receive a reward of 80 million won per person. Although the team did not reach the round of 32, the Korea Football Association will pay out the basic allowance and the group stage victory bonus as set in advance.

The South Korean national soccer team players, who were eliminated from the group stage of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, are leaving their accommodation in Guadalajara, Mexico, on the 28th (local time). Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The South Korean squad, managed by Hong Myungbo, finished third in Group A with one win and two losses, earning 3 points. Despite a goal difference of -1 and aiming for a dramatic advance to the round of 32, Korea failed to secure one of the eight wild-card spots given to the top third-placed teams and ended the tournament ranked 34th overall. The start was promising, as Korea defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 in their first group stage match. However, they lost 0-1 to host nation Mexico in the second match, and then fell 0-1 to South Africa in the final group game, missing the chance to advance even though a draw would have been enough.

While the results were disappointing, the reward is calculated based on separate criteria. The Korea Football Association had previously decided to pay a basic allowance of 50 million won to each of the 26 players on the final roster for this World Cup. In addition, a victory bonus for the group stage is included. As Korea secured one win against the Czech Republic, they earned a victory bonus of 30 million won. Since there were no draws, the draw bonus of 10 million won will not be added. As a result, each player will receive a total of 80 million won, combining the basic allowance of 50 million won and the victory bonus of 30 million won.

If the same amount is paid to all 26 players on the final roster, the total reward pool amounts to 2.08 billion won. This amount is likely to be distributed equally to players listed on the final entry, regardless of their actual playing time or appearances. However, stage advancement bonuses will not be paid. The Football Association had set stage achievement bonuses of 100 million won for advancing to the round of 32, 200 million won for the round of 16, and 300 million won for the quarterfinals, but as Korea was eliminated in the group stage, these amounts do not apply.

Players included in the final roster, such as Son Heungmin, Lee Kangin, and Kim Minjae, will conclude the tournament receiving a reward of 80 million won per person. Compared to Bento's team, which achieved the second-ever round of 16 advancement in an away game during the 2022 Qatar World Cup and received up to 340 million won per player, the amount has significantly decreased. Yonhap News

Additionally, the extra bonus separately promised by Korea Football Association President Chung Mong-gyu was also canceled. President Chung had previously stated that, separate from the association’s budget, he would donate 1 billion won if the team reached the round of 32, 2 billion won for the round of 16, and 3 billion won for the quarterfinals. However, as the team led by Hong Myungbo did not make it past the group stage, the so-called ‘Chung Mong-gyu bonus’ was excluded.

As a result, players included in the final roster, such as Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, and Kim Min-jae, will conclude this tournament with a reward of 80 million won per person. Compared to Bento’s team, which advanced to the round of 16 for the second time in away World Cup history at the 2022 Qatar World Cup and received up to 340 million won per player, this is a significantly reduced amount. Although the tournament performance fell short of expectations, the bonus for one group stage win remains. For Hong Myungbo’s squad, this World Cup will be remembered not only for missing the round of 32, but also for the ‘80 million won per person reward’ that followed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.