[Official] 'South Korea's World Cup Aftermath' FIFA Ranking Plunges 7 Spots to Record Low of 32nd in Over 4 Years and 7 Months

*This content was translated by AI.

Following their elimination from the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, the South Korean national football team's FIFA ranking has dropped to 32nd place. This marks a fall of seven positions within just one month.

According to the July FIFA rankings released by FIFA on the 20th (Korea time) after concluding the World Cup campaign, South Korea accumulated only 1558.72 ranking points, slipping to 32nd overall.

South Korea had maintained its 22nd position in the FIFA rankings as of January this year, but fell to 25th by April, and then dropped seven more positions following the World Cup.

This is the first time since December 2021 (when it ranked 33rd) that South Korea's FIFA ranking has fallen into the 30s. The current 32nd position represents the lowest ranking in over four years and seven months.

Under former national team coach Hong Myung-bo, South Korea defeated Czech Republic in the first group stage match of the World Cup but subsequently suffered consecutive losses to Mexico and South Africa, resulting in a significant decline in FIFA ranking points.

FIFA ranking points are calculated by factoring in the tournament weight applied to both teams' existing points. Since the World Cup carries an overwhelmingly large weighting factor, the loss of ranking points due to defeats against Mexico and South Africa was substantial.

While South Korea lost ranking points and slipped in position, numerous other teams overtook it and climbed higher, further widening the gap in South Korea's FIFA ranking decline.

During this period, South Korea's FIFA ranking dropped to fourth in Asia behind Japan (17th), Iran (22nd), and Australia (28th).

Prior to the World Cup, South Korea ranked third in Asia after Japan and Iran, aiming to climb higher within the continent. However, following the World Cup, it was overtaken by Australia as well, falling to fourth place.

Japan, which advanced to the Round of 32 in this World Cup, moved up one position from last month, remaining the only Asian nation in the top 10. Iran and Australia each dropped two and one positions, respectively.

Spain reclaimed the number one spot in the overall FIFA rankings by defeating Argentina and reaching the summit for the first time in 16 years. Spain earned a remarkable 30.27 points from its victory over Argentina in the final match, recording a total of 1995.88 FIFA ranking points.

Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Morocco, Portugal, Belgium, and the Netherlands followed to complete the top 10. Mexico, which shared the same group as South Korea during the World Cup, climbed four positions to newly enter the "top 10."

Uruguay, which was eliminated in the group stage alongside South Korea and suffered a blow to its pride, has now fallen to 20th place. Germany (12th) and Croatia (13th) also failed to avoid ranking declines.

In contrast, Norway, which made a surprising run to the quarterfinals of the World Cup in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, surged from 31st to 19th—a rise of 12 positions. Switzerland, which also reached the quarterfinals, secured 14th place, with several new teams entering the upper echelons.

Norway was the team with the largest ranking increase within a month. Conversely, Tunisia, which finished winless in all three matches of Group F during the group stage, dropped from 45th to 57th—a decline of 12 positions, marking the steepest fall.

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*This content was translated by AI.