Seol Young-woo (#22) of South Korea reacts after his team's 0-1 loss to South Africa at the 2026 World Cup on June 2 in Guadalupe, Mexico.
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Luke Hales/Getty Images
No Asian team managed to go far this World Cup (again). What's holding them back?
For the sixth World Cup in a row, no team from the Asian Football Confederation made it past the first knockout round, winning only three games out of 29. Asian teams are competitive — up to a point.
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