'Japan, fully aware of South Korea's predicament' — Cold draw after "Hong Myung-bo's path has become even more difficult"... Spotlight on the race for third place in Group A

*This content was translated by AI.

The "eternal rival" Japan was also well aware of South Korea's difficult situation. However, in the end, it did not help South Korea. Japanese local media reported on the situation of Hong Myung-bo's team, which found itself pushed further to the brink after the draw against Sweden.

On the 26th (Korea time), Football Channel reported, "Japan drew 1-1 with Sweden, and Korean media have reported that this result has had a significant impact on South Korea's national team's race to reach the round of 32."

Japan, led by coach Hajime Moriyasu, drew 1-1 with Sweden in the final Group F match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup North, Central America and Caribbean qualifiers, held at the Dallas Stadium in the United States on this day. Japan took the lead with an early goal by Daizen Maeda in the second half but later conceded an equalizer from Swedish attacker Anthony Elanga. The match ended in a draw. As a result, Japan recorded one win and two draws (five points), finishing second in Group F and advancing to the round of 32. Japan will face Brazil in the round of 32 on the 30th.

In Group F, "favorite" the Netherlands finished first with two wins and one draw (seven points). Sweden finished third with one win, one draw, and one loss (four points) but successfully advanced from the group stage. In this tournament, not only the top two teams from each group but also the eight best-performing teams among the 12 third-place finishers can advance to the round of 32. Sweden secured its place in the tournament by climbing to the upper ranks of the third-place standings. Ecuador (four points), third in Group E, and Bosnia and Herzegovina (four points), third in Group B, also joined the round of 32.

The draw between Japan and Sweden was a highly disappointing result for South Korea. By the second match, Sweden had recorded one win and one loss, with six goals scored and six conceded, resulting in a goal difference of zero. Had Japan defeated Sweden by a margin of two goals or more, South Korea could have taken the lead in the race for third place against Sweden.

South Korea finished the group stage in third place in Group A with one win and two losses (three points) and a goal difference of -1. In the final group stage match, a shocking 0-1 defeat to South Africa caused South Korea to miss the chance to advance directly to the round of 32 as the group runner-up. This left South Korea in a position where it had to finish among the top eight third-place teams. However, with Japan and Sweden drawing, Sweden's points increased to four, placing them ahead of South Korea.

Japan could not have been unaware of South Korea's situation. Even before the Sweden match, reports emerged that the outcome of Japan's final group stage match could influence South Korea's fate.

Earlier, Japan's Nikkan Sports reported, "South Korea lost to South Africa and finished third in Group A. Since this tournament allows the eight best-performing third-place teams to advance to the round of 32, South Korea is now waiting for results from other groups." Citing Korean media, the outlet added, "South Korea is now in a position where it needs Japan's help."

Football Channel also emphasized before the match that "the outcome of the final group stage matches between Japan and Sweden will affect South Korea's fate." For South Korea, the most ideal scenario would have been for Japan to defeat Sweden by a margin of two goals or more.

However, Japan did not provide the help. After the match, Football Channel explained, "With this draw, Japan secured its place in the round of 32 by finishing second in Group F. Sweden also finished third in Group F and secured advancement from the group stage as one of the top third-place teams."

It further stated, "For South Korea, it would have been desirable for Japan to defeat Sweden by a margin of two goals or more, but the match ended in a draw, making the situation even more difficult." It added, "For South Korea, which had hoped for a Japanese victory, Sweden's single point was an extremely painful result."

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*This content was translated by AI.