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| The final match of Group B of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup between South Korea and Kuwait at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 10th. Coach Hong Myung-bo is preparing for the game. Sangam = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.6.10/ |
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South Korea could be in a very difficult situation if the FIFA ranking drops in the future.
Football Ranking, a soccer content media outlet, predicted on the 12th (Korea time) that the opening of the 2026 World Cup in North Korea and China is a year away and how the port will be allocated ahead of the World Cup draw.
Port allocation refers to the work of classifying each country by FIFA ranking before proceeding with the World Cup finals draw. Each country, except the host country, is included in port 1 through port 4 according to FIFA rankings. One country will be selected from each port to form a World Cup group.
Although it is impossible to make an accurate forecast as 48 countries to advance to the World Cup finals have not been decided yet, what we know from this prediction was the possibility of Korea's Port 3 decline. According to the prediction of the Football Ranking, Korea is located in Port 2 but at the end of Port 2.
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| 사진=풋볼랭킹 |
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In order to increase the probability of Korea performing well in the World Cup, it must somehow secure the Port 2 spot. If it falls to Port 3, the difficulty of Korea passing the group stage will inevitably decrease. This is because you must meet the countries that belong to ports 1 and 2. Just looking at Port 2, which is predicted right now, Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Senegal, Denmark, and Austria are the only countries with stronger objective power than Korea.
Italy is the only country that is currently ranked higher than South Korea, which is ranked 23rd in FIFA rankings, but is in danger of advancing to the World Cup. As expected, Port 2's cut line will be 24th in FIFA rankings if the rest of the countries and the host countries are placed in the port in turn except Italy. This is because Canada, which is currently ranked 30th in FIFA rankings, will be assigned to Port 1 as a host country. In other words, South Korea should somehow defend its current ranking by saying that it should be ranked in the top 24.
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| National soccer team coach Hong Myung-bo announced the list of national teams to play in the A-match at the Seoul Shinmun-ro Football Center on the 26th. Hong Myung-bo is facing the last two consecutive games of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup. They will play their ninth match against Iraq in Basra, Iraq on June 6 and Kuwait on June 10 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. Director Hong Myung-bo answers questions. Reporter Huh Sang-wook @sportschosun.com/2025.05.26/ |
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The problem is that the competition between the 23rd and 24th places is too fierce. According to the FIFA ranking score reflecting the results of the June A match, Korea has 1587.08 points. Australia, ranked 24th, is chasing South Korea with 1578.63 points and Ecuador, ranked 25th, with 1570.68.
Since the World Cup is scheduled for December, South Korea will be able to defend its current ranking only when it brings good results in the A-match between September and November. South Korea will meet 16th-ranked U.S. and 17th-ranked Mexico in September, and 48th-ranked Paraguay in October.
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| The official training for the third qualifying round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Korea and the U.S. was held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 9th. Coach Hong Myung-bo and Son Heung-min are talking. Sangam = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.06.09/ |
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Although the schedule for one A match in October and November has not been set, it may be difficult to keep the 23rd place if the team does not have good results against the U.S. and Mexico in September. If it falls to 24th place, the schedule from October will be quite onerous. In order to take advantage of the World Cup group formation, South Korea should be fully prepared for the upcoming away A-match in September.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
