South Africa vs Korea Republic Predictions and Betting Tips – World Cup 2026
24th June 2026
South Africa vs Korea Republic – World Cup 2026 Group A Preview
The late-night World Cup slot brings us South Africa against South Korea at 02:00 BST on Wednesday morning. It’s a big one in Group A – Bafana Bafana are clinging on with 1 point while Korea sit on 3 after a win and a loss. Both teams need a result here, and the data paints a pretty clear picture of who should get it.
Predicted Lineups and Team News
Lineups aren’t confirmed yet, but here’s what the predicted XIs look like.
South Africa (4-3-3)
Williams; Mudau, Okon, Mbokazi, Modiba; Mbatha, Sithole, Adams; Appollis, Foster, Mofokeng
Ronwen Williams is the heartbeat of this side and one of the best keepers in African football. Ahead of him, the back four of Mudau, Okon, Mbokazi, and Modiba is functional if not spectacular. Aubrey Modiba is projected at 2.20 tackles per game from left-back – a real workhorse. Up front, Oswin Appollis (0.18 projected goals, 1.35 shots per game) and Lyle Foster (0.21 projected goals per game) carry the goal threat.
South Korea (4-3-3)
Jo Hyeon-woo; Moon-hwan Kim, Min-jae Kim, Han-beom Lee, Young-woo Seol; Kang-in Lee, Jin-gyu Kim, In-beom Hwang; Ji-sung Eom, Son Heung-min, Hee-chan Hwang
The quality up top is obvious. Son Heung-min is projected at 2.54 shots and 0.44 goals per game – comfortably the best attacking threat on the pitch. Hee-chan Hwang adds 1.49 shots and 0.21 projected goals per game. In midfield, Kang-in Lee is the creative hub, projected at 1.89 shots and 0.28 assists per game. Min-jae Kim anchors the defence, averaging 1.34 tackles per game from centre-back.
Form and Recent Performance
South Africa‘s recent form tells a story of inconsistency – LWLDLDWDLD across their last 10, which is W2 D4 L4. They’ve scored 9 and conceded 12 in that run. That’s 0.9 goals per game scored and 1.2 conceded. In the group, they drew their opener and lost their second, sitting 4th on 1 point with a GD of -2.
South Korea have been more decisive – LWWWLLWWWL for W6 D0 L4, scoring 13 and conceding 12 in their last 10. They’re a team that either wins or loses, rarely drawing. In the group, they beat one side and lost to another, sitting 2nd on 3 points with a neutral goal difference.
Key Player Stats
Son Heung-min is head and shoulders above everyone on the pitch in terms of goal threat. At 0.44 projected goals and 0.95 shots on target per game, he’s the main man. He also draws 1.67 fouls per game – defenders simply can’t deal with him cleanly.
Hyeon-gyu Oh is an interesting one off the bench for Korea – 0.33 projected goals and 1.91 shots per game. If Korea need a goal, he’s coming on. Gue-sung Cho offers similar numbers at 0.27 projected goals per game.
For South Africa, Lyle Foster is the go-to man with 1.37 shots and 0.58 shots on target per game. Relebohile Mofokeng is one to watch – projected at 1.01 shots per game and draws 1.47 fouls per game from the wing.
Tebogo Mokoena leads South Africa’s fouls committed chart with 1.40 per game, while Korea’s Han-beom Lee tops theirs at 1.30 per game.
Betting Angles
Projections
The projected scoreline is South Africa 0.87 – 1.60 South Korea. A pretty clear Korea win in the model’s view. South Africa scoring under 1 projected goal at home tells you about the quality gap here.
Bet Builder Slip
The Statz Bet Builder has a tidy 4-leg slip at combined odds of roughly 2.60:
- In-beom Hwang 1+ shots – 100% hit rate in his last 5 (values: 1, 3, 2, 2, 3). Averaging 2.2 shots per game. Best odds 1.22 @ bet365.
- Oswin Appollis 1+ shots – 100% hit rate in his last 5 (values: 1, 2, 1, 3, 2). Averaging 1.8 shots per game. Best odds 1.28 @ Ladbrokes.
- Ji-sung Eom 1+ tackles – 100% hit rate in his last 5 (values: 2, 3, 1, 1, 3). Averaging 2.0 tackles per game. Best odds 1.25 @ Ladbrokes.
- Jin-gyu Kim 1+ fouls – 100% hit rate in his last 5 (values: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1). Averaging 1.0 fouls per game. Best odds 1.33 @ bet365.
This one’s on the shorter side at 2.60, but the consistency is solid – every leg has hit in all 5 most recent games. The Jin-gyu Kim foul leg is tight at exactly 1.0 per game average, but the form says it’s landing.
Referee
Facundo Tello Figueroa is in charge, and he likes a card – averaging 3.86 yellows and 25.43 fouls per game across 7 matches. If you’re looking at card markets, this is your game. With Korea’s direct style and South Africa’s combative midfield, expect bookings.
Summary and Suggestions
Korea should have too much quality for South Africa here. Son, Hwang, and Kang-in Lee are a different calibre and the projected 0.87 – 1.60 scoreline backs that up. South Africa’s form of 2 wins in 10 is poor, and they’ve conceded 1.2 per game in that run. Korea to win is the main angle. The bet builder at ~2.60 is modest but solid if you want a World Cup accumulator leg with high consistency. For cards, Tello’s 3.86 yellows per game average makes over 3.5 match cards worth considering.