Japanese football's 'world fifth' leap, 女 Asian Cup championship effect... South Korea's 19th Place 'Up 2 Stages'

*This content was translated by AI.

Japan's women's national soccer team has raised its ranking to "fifth in the world" in the FIFA rankings for the first time this year.

Japan ranked fifth in the FIFA rankings of women's soccer, which was released in real time by FIFA on the 24th, up three notches from eighth place in December last year. FIFA will release FIFA rankings in real time starting this year.

Japan recently won the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Asian Cup in Australia with an overwhelming record of 29 points and one run.

Japan, which passed Group C in the tournament's group stage with three wins, beat the Philippines (the quarterfinals), South Korea (the semifinals) and Australia (the finals) in the tournament for the third time.

Through this tournament, Japan, which has accumulated nearly 30 FIFA ranking points, has risen to the 5th place in the world again for the first time in a year since March last year.

Japan's highest FIFA ranking in women's soccer history is the world's third place, which has been maintained for three years since 2011.

South Korea, which was eliminated from the semifinals of the tournament, is also expected to rise two places from 21st to 19th.

South Korea, led by head coach Shin Sang-woo, scored 2 wins and 1 draw in Group A, overtook Australia to advance to the quarterfinals and beat Uzbekistan to the semifinals, but failed to reach the final for the second consecutive time after losing 1-4 to Japan.

Instead, Korea, which has accumulated points through this competition, has risen to 19th place again in about a year since March last year. The highest ranking in Korean women's soccer history is 14th, which rose in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

South Korea's ranking remained fifth in Asia. North Korea, which was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the tournament, is expected to fall one place from ninth to 10th, Australia remains 15th, and China is expected to rise one place to 16th.

Meanwhile, South Korea qualified for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup finals in Brazil next year, which will be given to the top six teams of the tournament by advancing to the semifinals of the last tournament. The women's FIFA rankings will be officially announced on the 10th of next month.

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*This content was translated by AI.