South Korea's football fears become reality as FIFA ranking plummets to the 30s... for the first time in four and a half years

*This content was translated by AI.

The fallout from South Korea's failure to qualify directly for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North, Central America and the Caribbean is intensifying. The FIFA ranking has already fallen into the 30s. Depending on the results of other teams, the ranking could drop further. This fall into the 30s is the first time in four and a half years.

According to the real-time FIFA ranking updated by FIFA on the 26th (Korea time), South Korea recorded 1,558.72 ranking points and slipped to 30th place. The official ranking released two weeks ago in June was 25th, but after playing three group stage matches, the ranking dropped by as many as five positions.

The shock defeat against South Africa had a significant impact. Under coach Hong Myung-bo, South Korea lost 0-1 to South Africa in the final Group A match of the tournament held at the Monterrey Stadium the previous day. On this day, South Korea could have advanced to the round of 32 by finishing second in the group with just a draw, but the shock defeat against South Africa pushed them down to third place in the group. The competition for the round of 32 qualification spots, which are awarded to the top eight teams out of 12 groups, is ongoing.

In particular, due to the defeat against South Africa, South Korea lost as many as 33.03 ranking points. They had gained 20.92 points from the first group stage match against Czech Republic, but then lost 20.8 points due to the defeat against Mexico, followed by the fallout from the defeat against South Africa. With other teams accumulating a large number of points, South Korea's FIFA ranking plummeted. The fall of South Korea's FIFA ranking into the 30s is the first time since December 2021, four and a half years ago.

The problem lies ahead in the schedule. If South Korea fails to secure the round of 32 qualification spot even dramatically, they will return home without accumulating any more FIFA ranking points. In contrast, other teams can continue to accumulate points steadily. Unlike the group stage, there is no point deduction for defeats in the tournament stage. Other top teams now have nothing left to do but pull away. In this process, South Korea's FIFA ranking will fall even further.

The gap with Asian teams, especially Japan, could widen further. Based on the real-time ranking, Japan has risen to 17th place. In Asia, the order is Japan, Iran (21st), Australia (27th), and South Korea (30th). Japan is aiming to enter the top 10, while South Korea has fallen to the 30s. The bitter reality of South Korean football has been fully revealed through coach Hong Myung-bo's journey in this North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup.

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*This content was translated by AI.