*This content was translated by AI.
Even Japanese media expressed shock over South Korea's decline in football.
On the 21st (Korean time), the Japanese outlet "Soccer Digest" reported, "South Korean media have extensively covered the contrasting fortunes of South Korea and Japan following the release of the latest FIFA rankings after the conclusion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America."
FIFA released its July world rankings on this day. South Korea fell a staggering seven positions from 25th before the North American World Cup to 32nd. This marks the first time since December 2021, when it ranked 33rd, that South Korea has dropped outside the top 30 in FIFA rankings — a span of approximately four years and seven months.
The primary cause of this sharp ranking decline is attributed to South Korea's poor performance at the North American World Cup.
Under former coach Hong Myung-bo, the South Korean national team recorded one win and two losses in the group stage, finishing third in Group A and failing to advance. Despite being drawn into a group with co-host Mexico, Czech Republic, and South Africa — a matchup widely considered competitive — the team failed to deliver the expected results.
In the tiebreaker competition among third-placed teams from each group, South Korea ranked only 10th. Although the top eight third-placed teams across all 12 groups could have advanced to the Round of 32, South Korea did not meet the required criteria. Ultimately, after exiting in the group stage, the team also faced a "FIFA ranking disaster."
Soccer Digest specifically highlighted that South Korea's ranking, which had remained within the top 20 under former coaches Paulo Bento and Jurgen Klinsmann, dropped to 32nd under Hong Myung-bo's leadership.
Alongside the drop in world rankings, South Korea fell from third to fourth place in Asia.
Japan maintained first place in Asia with a world ranking of 17th. In the North American World Cup's Group F, Japan competed against the Netherlands, Sweden, and Tunisia. Despite facing a challenging group draw, Japan recorded one win and two draws, finishing second in the group to advance to the Round of 32. In that round, they engaged in a fierce battle against "eternal favorites" Brazil but lost 1-2.
Iran secured second place in Asia with a world ranking of 22nd. Competing in Group G against Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand, Iran recorded three draws and finished third in the group. In the tiebreaker among third-placed teams, Iran ranked one position higher than South Korea at ninth, narrowly missing advancement to the Round of 32.
Australia rose to third place in Asia with a world ranking of 28th, surpassing South Korea. In Group D alongside the United States, Paraguay, and Turkey, Australia recorded one win, one draw, and one loss, earning four points and finishing second in the group to advance from the group stage. In the Round of 32, they held Egypt to a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes of extra time but were eliminated following a 2-4 penalty shootout defeat.
Following South Korea, Saudi Arabia ranked fifth in Asia with a world ranking of 58th. Qatar finished 59th, Uzbekistan 60th, Iraq 63rd, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 68th, and Jordan 73rd.
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*This content was translated by AI.
