*This content was translated by AI.
Japan's soccer media released a power ranking evaluating the power of teams that advanced to the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup. The South Korean national soccer team is ranked 14th overall, which is higher than the Japanese team.
On the 11th, the Japanese Football Channel unveiled the top 20 power rankings of the North American World Cup finals, combining five indicators: FIFA ranking, market value best player, average points earned last year, World Cup participation and total number of titles.
South Korea, led by Hong Myung-bo, ranked 14th. The Football Channel said, "South Korea has qualified for 11 consecutive World Cup finals, but it has not been in a tailwind for four years since the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup," adding, "Coach Jurgen Klinsman was dismissed due to the elimination of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup semifinals. At one point, Hwang Sun-hong and Kim Do-hoon took the helm, and Hong Myung-bo took the helm in July 2024, just before the third qualifying round of the World Cup."
"As a result, the appointment of Hong Myung-bo could be evaluated as a success. "Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) got many opportunities to play, including the UEFA Champions League, and Son Heung-min, an ace and captain, performed extraordinarily with 12 goals and 4 assists in 13 games after moving to Los Angeles (LA) FC," he said.
The media picked Jens Kastrov (23, Mönchengladbach), the first foreign-born mixed-race player in history, as the "secret weapon" of the Korean national team in North American World Cup.
The Football Channel said, "Kastrov, who has a German father and a Korean mother, was first called up to the Korean national team in September last year. He is the first Korean national team player born abroad with various roots. "Kastrov, who can do bad things, has a different style of play than other Korean national team midfield players, so chances are high that he will become the main player at the World Cup."
According to the media, which ranked Korea 14th, Japan's national team ranked 15th, one place lower than Korea's. Japan was ahead in FIFA rankings and market value points, but South Korea (12 times) was more than Japan (8 times) in the number of World Cup appearances, dividing the rankings of the two teams.
The media said, "The Japanese national team, led by head coach Hajime Moriyasu, is considered the 'strongest in history'. Field Players Most of the players play on the European frontline. There has never been a national team with such a high proportion of overseas players in the past. "It was the fastest time in Japanese football history to confirm the qualification for the World Cup three games ahead of the preliminary round," he said.
The Football Channel said, "The part of concern is the condition of the main players. Takumi Minamino (AS Monaco), who has the record of most appearances and scores under Moriyasu, is in a desperate situation to participate in the World Cup due to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament. Endo Wataru also lost his starting position in Liverpool. Takehiro Tomiyasu (Ajax) said, "Fortunately, young players have grown well during their departure." If they work well together, there will be a possibility of advancing to the quarterfinals of the World Cup for the first time in Japanese soccer history," he said.
There were only two Asian teams in the top 20: Korea (14th) and Japan (15th). Among the teams in Group A like South Korea in the North American World Cup finals, Mexico was the only one named, and the ranking was 13th, one place higher than South Korea. The Netherlands, which belongs to the same group as Japan, ranked 10th. Argentina, France, and Spain ranked first to third overall.
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*This content was translated by AI.
