"South Korea 32nd, Japan 17th" The Gap Between the Two Rivals Widens Further... Japanese Media Also Compare: "Iran and Australia Still Ahead of South Korea"

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South Korean football maintained its 32nd place in the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) rankings. The gap with "eternal rival" Japan has widened further.

On the 8th (Korean time), FIFA announced the new men's football world rankings. South Korea recorded a score of 1,562.49 points to rank 32nd in the world. This is the same ranking as last July.

After being eliminated from the group stage of the 2026 North-Central America World Cup with one win and two losses, South Korea fell outside the top 30 for the first time in four years and seven months since December 2021 (33rd place), remaining at 32nd this time as well.

This ranking reflects results from the international match period that ran from the 21st of last month to the 6th of this month.

Following the departure of manager Hong Myung-bo, South Korea, under interim manager Roberto Moreno (Spain), recorded two wins, one draw, and one loss in four matches.

They started off on a high note by defeating Ecuador 3-0, but suffered a heavy 1-4 defeat to Uruguay. After drawing 0-0 with Venezuela, they secured a 2-0 victory in the final match against Uzbekistan, powered by a direct free-kick goal from Son Heung-min and a goal from Oh Se-hoon.

However, the gap with Japan, ranked first in Asia, has actually widened. Japan was previously ranked 18th but climbed to 17th based on these results.

Japan won all four of its international matches this time, maintaining an unbeaten record. They defeated Uruguay 3-1 and Venezuela 2-1. In the Kirin Cup, they drew 0-0 with Ecuador before winning in a penalty shootout, and also defeated New Zealand 2-1 in the final.

Japanese media outlet Football Channel also focused on the gap between South Korea and Japan. The outlet noted that the difference in world rankings between the two teams is 15 spots.

The opponents South Korea must overcome are not limited to Japan alone.

In Asia, following Japan, Iran ranks 23rd in the world and Australia is 26th. South Korea is ranked fourth in Asia.

Football Channel reported on this, stating, "The gap between the two teams has widened further through this international match period."

It then explained, "There are two more Asian countries ahead of South Korea."

This effectively points out that before chasing down Japan, South Korea must first overcome Iran and Australia.

Meanwhile, in the latest FIFA rankings, Spain, the 2026 North-Central America World Cup champion, maintained its top spot in the world. Argentina, France, and England took second through fourth places, respectively.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original