ATLANTA (AP) — Mike Stewart is a chief photographer in the Southern USA for The Associated Press. He is a 2021 Pulitzer Prize winner and is based in Atlanta. Stewart covers sports, news and enterprise stories for the AP.
I thought a photograph of players on a World Cup team gathering with staff praying in the middle of the field was significant. That happened Saturday after Congo's victory against Uzbekistan. In my almost four decades of photojournalism, it was one of the most unique things I have seen in any professional sport.
Standing in the tribune or overhead position, shooting the jubilation of Congo's victory, I kept searching for more. When I saw the team after the celebration was over come together for a prayer, I made the photo with a 400 mm lens on a Sony A9 iii.
The photo works because it’s unique. It’s something that people don’t see every day. For hundreds of millions of people, the power of prayer is powerful.
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Congo players and staff pray after the World Cup Group K soccer match between DR Congo and Uzbekistan in Atlanta, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
South Korea left the World Cup in turmoil after the team's quick elimination drew heavy criticism from the country's president, who called coach Hong Myung-bo “incapable,” while South Korea media reported the coach had already quit.
South Korea won its opening match against Czech Republic, then lost its next two Group A matches to South Africa and Mexico.
South Korea hoped it would qualify for the next round as one of the third-place teams to advance in this year's expanded tournament. That ended when Congo defeated Uzbekistan 3-1 on Saturday.
The quick exit for a team that expected to advance prompted harsh criticism from President Lee Jae Myung, who called for a complete review of the national team program.
“As a former honorary professional football club chairman and, at heart, a member of the Red Devils, I feel not just surprise but deep bewilderment at this unexpected result," the president said in a lengthy statement critical of national team structure and oversight and coach Myung-bo's appointment in the first place.
“Once again, it has been proven that personnel decisions determine everything. If loyalty and factionalism are valued over competence and an incapable person is appointed as a leader, the outcome is as predictable as fire,” the president said.
Hong, 57, was in his second stint with the national team. He was the coach at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil when South Korea also failed to advance past the group stage.
South Korea is a regular at the World Cup with 11 consecutive appearances, and was a semifinalist when it was co-host of the tournament in 2002.
President Myung called for the national Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to review the national team and its failures.
"I sincerely apologize to the public for the deep disappointment caused by this absurd situation. We will move swiftly to reform sports administration to ensure this does not happen again,” Myung said.
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Soccer fans react as they watch a live broadcasting of the World Cup Group A soccer match between South Africa and South Korea at a public viewing venue in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
South Korea's Lee Kang-in (19) reacts at the end of the World Cup Group A soccer match between South Africa and South Korea in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo looks on ahead the World Cup Group A soccer match between South Africa and South Korea in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
