*This content was translated by AI.
Ahead of the 100th day of the opening of the 2026 FIFA 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup, global sports media ESPN unveiled the top 15 power rankings of the teams that advanced to the finals. While Japan is the only Asian country to be listed, Korea has not been listed in the rankings.
ESPN unveiled the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup's power ranking with a vote for reporters around the world, including ESPN, ahead of the opening of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup on the 4th (Korea Standard Time). The media plans to update the rankings such as the opening D-50 when all the teams that advance to the finals, including the UEFA Playoffs (PO), intercontinental POs, and the timing of the final entry announcement and just before the opening.
In Asia, Japan is the only country that ranked 15th. ESPN said, "Japan has played at a high level based on the players' skills and excellent organization, reaching the round of 16 at the World Cup for the past two consecutive tournaments. It is expected to prove its ability in this competition, but it is evidence that it beat Germany and Spain in the last competition to win the first place in the group."
"We will be able to properly gauge Japan's World Cup preparation status through friendly matches with Scotland and England at the end of March," he said. "However, if captain Endo Wataru (Liverpool) is uncertain about his participation, the World Cup could become more difficult." Endo recently underwent ankle surgery and was ruled out for the season, and his summer plans are in jeopardy, he added.
On the other hand, South Korea, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, was not listed in the top 15. Earlier, some foreign media rated South Korea's power ahead of the World Cup higher than Japan's, but ESPN evaluated South Korea's current power as less than 16th among the teams advancing to the World Cup finals. With the addition of teams that confirm their advance to the World Cup finals through PO, it may become more difficult to enter the rankings unless Korea's ranking soars.
Spain (No. 1 in FIFA) ranked No. 1 overall in the ESPN power rankings. This was followed by France (3rd), Argentina (2nd), and England (4th). Brazil, Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, Morocco, and Colombia followed. Belgium, Norway, Senegal, and Croatia were then ranked 11th to 15th along with Japan. In the World Cup finals with South Korea, host Mexico and South Africa, which are in the same group, also failed to make the top 15 along with South Korea.
Meanwhile, Hong Myung-bo Team will play Ivory Coast at 11 p.m. on March 28 in London, England, and Austria at 3:45 a.m. on the 1st of next month in Vienna, Austria. After that, the final entry for the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup will be announced around May, and one or two more warm-up matches will be played before the World Cup finals.
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*This content was translated by AI.
