South Korea drops 7 spots in FIFA rankings to 32nd, historic low
South Korea's national football team has dropped 7 spots in the FIFA rankings to 32nd, the lowest since December 2021. The team finished the 2026 North America World Cup group stage with 1 win and 2 losses, scoring 2 goals and conceding 3 for a total of 3 points.
Why the big drop?
South Korea lost 0-1 to both Mexico and South Africa, failing to advance from the group stage. The match against South Africa was particularly crucial as a draw would have kept their hopes alive. Coach Hong Myung-bo's decision to bench captain Son Heung-min backfired as the team failed to score. This defeat meant South Korea missed out on the top 3 spots in the expanded 48-team format.
How does this affect Asia?
South Korea has dropped to 4th in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) rankings. Japan remains the top Asian team at 17th, followed by Iran (22nd) and Australia (28th). The gap between South Korea and Japan has widened to 15 spots. South Africa, who eliminated South Korea, climbed 6 spots to 54th.
What's next?
South Korea had shown improvement in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups but suffered a group stage exit this time, along with the coach's resignation and federation criticism. The next FIFA rankings will be announced on October 7. The longer it takes to appoint a new coach and rebuild the team, the harder it will be to recover from the 32nd spot.
