🇰🇷 South Korea
Asia · FIFA KOR
Key Statistics
Editorial Analysis & Historical Context
Rigorous Analysis: South Korea reached the semi-finals in 2002, a historic achievement that was heavily aided by some of the most questionable refereeing decisions in sports history. They still talk as if they did it on pure tactical genius.
Since then, they have returned to reality, qualifying regularly but rarely threatening the later stages. They run hard and play with discipline, but their fans are still living in the dream of 2002.
Tournament History
| Year | Host | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Qatar | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 4 | — |
| 2018 | Russia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 2014 | Brazil | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 1 | — |
| 2010 | South Africa | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 | — |
| 2006 | Germany | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | — |
| 2002 | Korea, Japan | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 13 | — |
| 1998 | France | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 1 | — |
| 1994 | United States | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | — |
| 1990 | Italy | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — |
| 1986 | Mexico | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 1 | — |
| 1954 | Switzerland | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 0 | — |
| Total | 11 editions | 38 | 8 | 9 | 21 | 39 | 78 | 33 | — |
World Cup Appearances
1954, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022
Economic & Demographic Football Efficiency
South Korea has a population of 51.7M and an estimated GDP of $2.1T. Bilardo Water normalizes goals, points, and championships against demographic and economic scale to measure true football efficiency beyond raw financial advantage.
Per Capita Rankings
| Metric | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Goals per million people | 0.75 | #40 / 84 |
| Points per million people | 0.64 | #41 / 84 |
| Wins per million people | 0.15 | #41 / 84 |
| Trophies per 10M people | — | #48 / 84 |
Per GDP Rankings
| Metric | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Goals per $1B GDP | 0.02 | #56 / 84 |
| Points per $1B GDP | 0.02 | #53 / 84 |
| Wins per $1B GDP | 0.00 | #52 / 84 |
| Trophies per $10B GDP | — | #48 / 84 |