On the verge of falling out of the FIFA ranking's top 30, the shock defeat against South Africa sends ripples of aftermath.

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korean national football team suffered a shock defeat against South Africa in the final Group A match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, making it impossible to avoid a drop in the FIFA ranking.

Under the guidance of head coach Hong Myung-bo, South Korea fell to as low as 28th place in the updated FIFA Live Ranking following a 0-1 defeat against South Africa in the final Group A match of the tournament held at a stadium in Monterrey, Mexico, on the 25th (Korea time).

Just after winning against the Czech Republic on the 12th, South Korea had climbed to 21st place and reached second in Asia, but after losing to Mexico and then suffering another defeat against South Africa today, the ranking dropped further.

If the ranking falls further depending on the results of other teams, South Korea's FIFA ranking could drop to the 30s during the CONCACAF Nations League. This is the first time South Korea's FIFA ranking has fallen into the 30s since December 2021 (33rd place).

South Korea could have advanced to the Round of 32 with just a draw against South Africa today, but after conceding the first goal in the 18th minute of the second half, they failed to overcome it and suffered a shock defeat. It was a complete loss not only due to the goal conceded in the second half, but also because of significant shortcomings in performance throughout both halves.

According to the official June ranking released on the 11th, South Korea was 25th and South Africa was 60th. South Korea lost a staggering 33.03 FIFA ranking points due to today's defeat. Conversely, South Africa gained 33.03 points, climbing six places from 60th to 54th.

In Asia, the gap with other teams has widened further. With Japan reaching as high as 16th place, Iran at 21st and Australia at 25th, South Korea has fallen to fourth in Asia. The gap with Japan has now widened to 12 places.

Meanwhile, following the defeat today, South Korea, which finished third in the group behind Mexico (9 points) and South Africa (4 points), will determine its chances of advancing to the Round of 32 by comparing its results with third-place teams from other groups. In this tournament, the top two teams from each group advance to the Round of 32, and the top eight third-place teams with the best records among the 12th groups can also advance to the Round of 32 tournament.

In a press conference after the defeat against South Africa, head coach Hong Myung-bo said, "It is true that we played our worst game of the three World Cup matches. The result on such a big stage is entirely the coach's responsibility. In the end, everything was my judgment and decision. Since I judged and decided incorrectly, the result was not good. There is nothing more or less to it."

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

*This content was translated by AI.