Korea is the only one who laughed…Opportunity to close FIFA ranking gap due to Japan and Iran's simultaneous defeat
Korea is the only one who laughed…Opportunity to close FIFA ranking gap due to Japan and Iran's simultaneous defeat
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Only the South Korean national team won the ninth round of the Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup and the Asian powerhouses Japan and Iran lost side by side, providing an opportunity for them to enter the top ranks in the FIFA World Rankings.
In the qualifying match between the 5th and 6th, South Korea, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, won 2-0 away to secure its 11th consecutive World Cup qualification. In contrast, Japan and Iran, which have already confirmed their qualification for the finals, knelt 0-1 against Australia and Qatar, respectively.
According to the results of the FIFA rankings' real-time tracking website Football Ranking on Monday, Korea maintained its previous 23rd place by scoring 8.75 points through a complete victory over Iraq. In contrast, Japan fell 14.83 points to 17th from 15th, while Iran also fell 16.67 points to 20th from 18th.
The real-time ranking point gap between Korea and second-ranked Iran has narrowed to 37 points. Korea maintained its winning streak of five wins, four draws, and no loss in the entire third preliminary round, becoming the only team in Asia that has never lost. Japan's manager, Hajime Moriyasu, attempted to experiment with a large number of young players after confirming the group's lead, but collapsed due to Australia's last-minute counterattack.
The gap could be further narrowed if South Korea secures another victory in the final match against Kuwait at 8 p.m. on the 10th at Seoul World Cup Stadium, and Japan and Iran at the same time produce less-than-expected results against Indonesia and North Korea, respectively.
The reason FIFA rankings are particularly important is that they will be the basis for seed allocation in the draw for the 2026 North-China World Cup finals to be held in December this year. At the World Cup, which will be expanded to 48 countries, 12 teams will be divided into four ports in the order of ranking, before drawing a lottery. If the team is in the top port, chances are significantly lower that it will be assigned to the same group as the favorites such as France, Brazil, and England. Ahead of the announcement of the new FIFA rankings on July 10, not only performance but also results have become important. 스포츠토토