He was supposed to coach South Korea at the 2026 World Cup, but now Jürgen Klinsmann has lost his job as national coach after less than a year. The Asian Cup exit was only part of the problem
Once again, Jürgen Klinsmann’s tenure has come to an abrupt end. On Friday, the South Korean Football Association announced the separation from the 59-year-old, who had only made his debut as national coach of the Taegeuk Warriors on March 24.
The board thus complied with the recommendation of the national team committee, which had held a crisis meeting with Klinsmann, who had joined from California, on Thursday and subsequently spoke of a “necessary” change of coach. Fans had demanded Klinsmann’s departure via banners in front of the association building.
The surprising exit in the Asian Cup semi-final against underdog Jordan (0:2) will be the last of just 17 appearances as South Korea’s national coach for the former national coach. Even before the tournament, however, he had come under critical scrutiny, having been accused of spending too little time in South Korea, among other things.
Klinsmann thanks “for the incredible journey “
After a false start to his tenure with five games without a win in a row, Klinsmann had started a winning streak ahead of the continental tournament. However, despite late comebacks in the round of 16 and quarter-finals, it was not enough to win the title in Qatar. In addition, an argument within the team on the evening before the semi-final loss, in which captain and goalscorer Heung-Min Son dislocated a finger, became public.
Klinsmann thanked his players, his coaching team and the fans via Instagram – “for all your support that got us to the semi-finals of the Asian Cup and for the incredible journey over the past twelve months in which we didn’t lose 13 games in a row until the semi-finals,” he wrote.
Klinsmann, who returned to coaching in the Far East for the first time since his turbulent interlude at Hertha BSC three years earlier, had originally signed a contract until after the 2026 World Cup. However, he will now be missing in his adopted home of the USA – at least as South Korea’s national coach.
