*This content was translated by AI.
With less than a month remaining until the opening of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, South Korea's power ranking has dropped to 28th. The team has fallen to a level where advancing to the Round of 32 is no longer assured, and the Asian ranking, which most media outlets had maintained at second place, has now slipped to third.
On the 13th (Korean time), U.S. media outlet CBS Sports released the World Cup power rankings for the 48th nations that have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. Under the leadership of coach Hong Myung-bo, South Korea's ranking fell two spots to 28th, compared to the previous announcement. Among the teams in the same A group as the World Cup, South Korea ranks second only to Mexico (20th), but is one spot ahead of the Czech Republic (29th). South Africa is ranked 40th.
A power ranking of 28th indicates that South Korea's strength is sufficient to be in contention for a Round of 32 spot, but it also suggests that advancing to the Round of 32 cannot be taken for granted. In particular, the downward trend in the ranking implies that as the World Cup approaches, perceptions of South Korea are turning increasingly negative.
In the past, the team's strength was based on South Korea's performance in the Asian qualifiers and the caliber of its players. However, this ranking is interpreted as reflecting recent results, including the March A-match friendly games. Under coach Hong Myung-bo, South Korea lost 0-4 to Côte d'Ivoire and 0-1 to Austria, completing the final friendly schedule before the announcement of the World Cup final roster. This explains why there is little reason to expect a positive outlook on Hong Myung-bo's team ahead of the World Cup.
In Asia, Japan remains in 15th place, within the Round of 16 contention, holding the highest ranking. Following Japan is not South Korea but Iran, which is ranked 23rd in the power ranking. While it is true that South Korea (25th) ranks lower than Iran (21st) in the FIFA ranking, most foreign media have historically evaluated South Korea as the second-strongest Asian team based on player caliber and other factors. However, CBS Sports has now assessed South Korea as the third-strongest team in Asia.
The top five teams in the overall power ranking were Spain, France, Argentina, Brazil, and England in that order. Colombia surged 10 spots to claim 10th place, while Saudi Arabia fell four spots from 30th to 34th, recording the largest drop. The bottom three teams were the Democratic Republic of the Congo (46th), New Zealand (47th), and Curaçao (48th).
Coach Hong Myung-bo will hold a press conference on the 16th at the West Onmadang, KT Gwanghwamun Building, Jongno-gu, Seoul, to announce the final 26-man roster for the North American World Cup. After departing via Incheon International Airport on the 18th, the team will continue its training camp in the United States, the pre-tournament base, and will play the final World Cup friendlies against Trinidad and Tobago on the 30th and El Salvador on the 4th of next month.
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*This content was translated by AI.
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