"The national team is rebuilding beyond chaos under Coach Hong Myung-bo."
Global football media outlet Goal.com revealed on the 12th (Korea time) that Korea was ranked 13th overall among the 21 countries participating in the power rankings for the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup qualifiers, which included the top 10 teams in the FIFA rankings. Korea is second in Asia, following Japan (10th).
The Republic of Korea national football team, led by Coach Hong Myung-bo, faced Kuwait in the 10th match of Group B in the 3rd round of the final qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup on the 10th at Seoul World Cup Stadium, winning decisively 4-0. With this victory, Korea finished the final qualifiers unbeaten with 22 points (6 wins, 4 draws).
Korea had already secured a spot in the final qualifiers early, having achieved 5 wins and 4 draws (19 points) with a 2-0 victory against Iraq in an away match on the 6th, thanks to consecutive goals from Kim Jin-kyu and Oh Hyun-kyu. The match ended in a 4-0 victory, creating a festive atmosphere for the national team to share the joy with home fans.
Korea recorded an unbeaten streak in the final qualifiers for the first time in 15 years since 2010. After unfortunately losing in an away match against the UAE on March 29, 2022, Korea failed to remain unbeaten in the final qualifiers for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, but this time concluded the qualifiers happily without any losses.
Korea took the lead in the first half with an own goal from Kuwait in the 30th minute, and in the 6th and 9th minutes of the second half, Lee Kang-in and Oh Hyun-kyu scored consecutive goals to build momentum. Following that, a substitute, Lee Jae-sung, scored the fourth goal in the 27th minute of the second half, leading to a perfect victory.
Meanwhile, after the June A matches, a total of 13 teams, including co-hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States, as well as 6 teams from Asia, 3 teams from South America, and 1 team from Oceania, have secured their spots in the World Cup finals. Considering the relatively slow progress of the European qualifiers, a power ranking was released for 21 teams, which includes the 8 teams currently ranked in the top 10 of the FIFA rankings.
First, Argentina and Spain ranked 1st and 2nd, respectively. Argentina, the winner of the last Qatar World Cup, has also consecutively won the Copa, an international tournament in South America. Spain, the reigning champion of the Euro, is evaluated to have completed a generational change led by Lamine Yamal.
Portugal, the winner of the UEFA Nations League, is in 3rd place, with France and Germany in 4th and 5th place, respectively. Among the 21 teams, the lowest-ranked team was New Zealand, which qualified through the Oceania qualifiers. In Asia, Japan ranked 10th, and Korea ranked 13th.
Korea's FIFA ranking is 23rd, making it 3rd overall after Japan (15th) and Iran (18th), but in the power ranking, Korea surpassed Iran (15th) and Australia (17th). Uzbekistan, making its debut in the World Cup, is ranked 19th, while Jordan stands at 20th, reflecting a relatively low evaluation of their strength.
Goal.com noted, "The news that Korea will participate in the World Cup is no longer surprising. This country has participated in all of the last 10 tournaments." It added, "It hasn't been easy. Until the match against Iraq, there were 3 consecutive draws, and key players have been struggling with age-related fitness issues."
The media outlet stated, "Korea's Coach Hong Myung-bo has brought the national team back on track since taking over from Coach Jürgen Klinsmann," adding, "Coach Hong has already started efforts for team rebuilding in preparation for the World Cup by discovering new talents throughout the tournament."
[OSEN]