FIFA officially recognized 'Korea-Japan soccer shock gap'... Changes in the ranking of 'Thirty 3 Stages' humiliation

*This content was translated by AI.

The gap between the South Korean national soccer team and Japan has been clearly proven by FIFA's official indicator beyond simple figures. Just two months before the 2026 FIFA North Korea-China World Cup, the joys and sorrows of the two countries were clearly divided.

According to the April men's soccer world ranking announced by FIFA on the 1st (Korea Standard Time), South Korea has fallen three places from the previous 22nd to 25th.

On the other hand, Japan, which defeated England, ranked fourth in the FIFA rankings, 1-0 at Wembley, strengthened its position as the strongest player in Asia, rising one notch to 18th.

The decline in the ranking of the Korean national team led by head coach Hong Myung-bo was a foreseen result. This is because he accepted the disastrous report card in the two consecutive away games in Europe in March ahead of the finals.

Following a 0-4 defeat to Ivory Coast on the 28th, South Korea also lost all two games by kneeling 0-1 in an exhibition match against Austria on the 1st. It was a disgraceful record of conceding five goals without scoring a single goal in 180 minutes.

With about two months left before the World Cup, coach Hong Myung-bo focused on checking Plan A with a 3-4-2-1 typical of both games, but failed to catch both the results and contents.

In particular, the defense problem that collapsed due to the opponent's personal skills in the match against Ivory Coast was repeated in the match against Austria. Even when Marcel Javicher (Borussia Dortmund) was allowed to score the winning goal in the third minute of the second half, the pattern of losing points was repeated even though the number of defense was increased. Luxury strikers such as Son Heung-min (LAFC) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) also remained silent, suffering from lack of decisiveness.

On the other hand, Japan has demonstrated its competitiveness in the finals with an all-time rise. On the same day, Japan won 1-0 in a friendly match against England at Wembley Stadium, England, thanks to Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton and Hove Albion)'s winning goal. Japan, which has defeated Scotland and England in consecutive matches, has recently won five straight A matches and raised its FIFA ranking.

The British local media also rated it extremely extreme. Major foreign media such as "BBC" and "The Guardian" said England was played by Japan's systematic defense and Mitoma's speed, while South Korea's lethargic performance was enough to raise concerns ahead of the finals.

Meanwhile, the rankings of the opponents that South Korea will face in Group A of the North Korea-China World Cup have also fluctuated. First-round opponent Czech Republic broke through the European playoff pass D, rising two spots to 41st, while second-round opponent and host Mexico rose one spot to 15th. South Africa, the final opponent, maintained its 60th place with one draw and one loss in the two consecutive warm-up matches against Panama.

In Asia, Japan (18th) and Iran (21st) maintained their first and second positions, widening the gap with Korea (25th). France, which beat Brazil and Colombia, ranked first in the world, followed by Spain, Argentina and England.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.