South Korea drops to 32nd in FIFA rankings after World Cup qualifier struggles

South Korea's national football team has slipped to 32nd in the latest FIFA rankings, marking their first time outside the top 30 in four years and seven months. The significant drop follows a disappointing performance in the 2026 North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup qualifiers.

According to the FIFA rankings released on July 20, the South Korean team fell seven places from their previous 25th position. Their struggles in the group stage, where they secured only one win and suffered two losses to finish third in Group A, directly contributed to this decline. This marks the first time since December 2021, when they were ranked 33rd, that South Korea has fallen below 30th place.

The FIFA ranking system considers not only wins and losses but also the strength of opponents. Beating a higher-ranked team yields more points, while losing to a lower-ranked team results in a greater point deduction. South Korea had already seen their live ranking dip to 32nd after their third group stage match on June 25 against South Africa.

Meanwhile, Japan continues to lead Asian nations, rising one spot to 17th place. They advanced to the knockout stage as second in their group before being eliminated by Brazil in the Round of 16. The top two spots in the global rankings have been reshuffled, with World Cup champions Spain reclaiming the No. 1 position from Argentina, who now sit second. France and England remain third and fourth, respectively. Norway saw a remarkable 12-place jump to 19th after reaching the quarterfinals, while Cape Verde, a debutant in the tournament, climbed three spots to 64th.