South Korea's national football team faces scrutiny over coach Hong Myung-bo's decision not to use Jens Castrop (Borussia Mönchengladbach) even once, as the team approaches its final group-stage match against South Africa that will determine its advance to the round of 32.
South Korea sits second in Group A at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic on the 12th and a 0-1 loss to Mexico on the 19th, for a record of one win and one loss (three points). Mexico secured first place in the group and a round-of-32 berth early with two straight wins (six points), while the Czech Republic and South Africa each have one point. The final match is against South Africa on the 25th in Monterrey.
In this process, the fact that Castrop, a Bundesliga regular, has not been used even once has drawn criticism. Castrop did not even make the substitute list for either the Czech Republic or Mexico match. For the left wing-back position, Hong moved Lee Tae-seok there against the Czech Republic and Seol Young-woo against Mexico.
Defensive stability came first. Castrop has a strong forward tendency that risks giving up space behind, and as he is originally a central midfielder, he is assessed to lack the precision required for flank defense. However, there is also strong counterargument that, given South Korea failed to create a breakthrough down the left and its attack was blunt against Mexico, he should have been deployed earlier given his work rate and forward ability.
Castrop has an unusual background for the South Korean national team. Born to a German father and a Korean mother as a dual citizen, he chose his mother's home country of South Korea in 2025, becoming the first foreign-born male national team player in history.
He made his A-match debut in a friendly against the United States in September of the same year. At his club Mönchengladbach, he has shown good performances appearing frequently as a wing-back in addition to midfielder, and has been called up to the national team as a defender since 2026. He went through all of Germany's age-group teams and played up to the U-21 level, but chose to join South Korea with the goal of playing in the World Cup.
The match against South Africa is a contest with South Korea's advance to the round of 32 at stake. If South Korea beats or draws with South Africa, it will secure second place in the group on its own merits and advance to the round of 32, and South Korea is the only team in Group A able to decide second place on its own.
On the other hand, if South Korea loses to South Africa, it could be pushed to third place in the group depending on the result of the Mexico-Czech Republic match and would have to rely on the wild-card race, and if the Czech Republic beats Mexico, it could be eliminated in fourth place. Whether Castrop plays is expected to depend on the flow of the match. If South Korea takes an early lead and reduces its defensive burden, the chances of deploying the attacking-minded player will increase.
