'Aftermath of Mexico Defeat' South Korea's FIFA Ranking Plummets to Fourth in Asia

*This content was translated by AI.

Following a loss to Mexico in the second group stage match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup North, Central America and Caribbean Qualifiers Group A, South Korea's real-time FIFA ranking dropped to 24th place. This places them fourth in Asia.

According to the real-time FIFA ranking released by FIFA on the 19th (Korea time), which reflects the results of the second group stage matches in Groups A and B of the World Cup, South Korea lost 20.8 FIFA ranking points due to the defeat against Mexico.

With a total score of 1,591.75 points, South Korea fell two spots in the real-time overall ranking from 22nd to 24th. In Asia, they are now fourth, behind Japan (17th), Australia (22nd), and Iran (23rd).

Previously, South Korea had accumulated a remarkable 20.92 points with a victory against Czechia on the 12th, briefly reaching 21st in the real-time FIFA ranking. Following a draw between second-ranked Asian team Iran and New Zealand, South Korea rose to second in the Asian rankings, behind Japan.

However, Hong Myung-bo's team could not overcome the early goal conceded due to a painful mistake in the second group stage match of the tournament held at the Guadalajara Stadium in Mexico's Zapopan on this day, losing 0-1 to Mexico.

FIFA ranking points are calculated based on the results of wins, draws, and losses, factoring in the FIFA ranking points of both teams involved in the match and the weighting for each tournament. The World Cup carries the highest weighting among all tournaments.

For example, while South Korea lost 5.05 FIFA ranking points due to a 0-1 defeat against Austria in a friendly match in April, the defeat against Mexico at the World Cup resulted in a loss of over 20 points due to the significantly higher World Cup weighting.

Of course, as South Korea is in Group A, they played their first match earliest. If the results of the second group stage matches of other teams are reflected, South Korea's ranking could also change rapidly. Conversely, if other Asian teams such as Japan, Australia, and Iran gain significant points while South Korea loses points due to the Mexico defeat, the gap will widen further.

Meanwhile, Mexico, having gained 13.5 points from a victory against South Africa previously, added 20.8 points from today's win against South Korea, climbing to 11th place. Mexico's June FIFA ranking, released on the 11th just before the World Cup opening, was 14th.

Czechia, also in Group A with South Korea, lost 3.34 points with a draw against South Africa today, dropping to 44th in the real-time ranking. South Africa, South Korea's final group stage opponent, gained 3.34 points with a draw against the higher-ranked Czechia but remained at 61st in the overall ranking.

The final Group A match between South Korea and South Africa will be held on the 26th at 10 a.m. at the Monterrey Stadium in Mexico. If South Korea secures at least a draw against South Africa, they can qualify for the Round of 32 tournament on their own as the second-place team in the group. However, if South Korea loses to South Africa, depending on the result of the Mexico vs. Czechia match at the same time, they could be pushed to third place in the group or drop to fourth, confirming their elimination.

In this tournament, the top two teams from each group and the top eight third-placed teams among the 12th groups based on performance will advance to the Round of 32 tournament. Currently, only Mexico in Group A has secured both advancement to the Round of 32 and first place in the group.

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*This content was translated by AI.