Korea was ranked 22nd in the FIFA rankings announced on Thursday (Korea time). The figure rose one notch from the previous announcement. The team conquered a higher ground by reflecting its performance at the 2023 Asian Cup. It added 15.56 points to mark 1550.65. It maintained the third place in Asia, following Japan, which was ranked 18th with 1614.33 points, and Iran, which was ranked 20th with 1565.08.
Klinsmann had two wins, three draws, and one loss at the 2023 Asian Cup. The team beat Bahrain 3-1 in the first group match, but ended up with a 2-2 and 3-3 draw against Jordan and Malaysia in the second and third matches. In the round of 16, Saudi Arabia led 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw ended in overtime. The match was officially tied. It beat Australia 2-1 in the quarterfinals and lost to Jordan 0-2 in the semifinals.
It has advanced to the semifinals, but has been criticized for its poor performance. It was shaken by failing to beat the teams that were one step below, especially in the semifinals against Jordan, where it was defeated without hitting any effective shots. To make matters worse, Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in have recently been shaken even more due to the “table tennis controversy.” The two players, who took the center of the team, are known to have had a physical fight with Jordan just the day before the semifinal.
There have been quite a few changes in the rankings of Asian countries as a result of the 2023 Asian Cup. After Korea, Australia moved up two notches to 23rd, while Qatar, which won the 2023 Asian Cup, jumped 21 notches to 37th. Saudi Arabia (53rd), Iraq (59th), Uzbekistan (66th), the United Arab Emirates (69th), and Jordan, who finished second, moved up 17 notches to 70th. China dropped nine notches to 88th. It also slipped to 13th in Asia.
Meanwhile, there was no change from No. 1 to No. 11 overall. Argentina, the winner of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, maintained its No. 1. France, England, Belgium, Brazil, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Croatia, and Uruguay ranked second to 11th. Morocco moved up one place to 12th and the United States moved down one place to 13th. Colombia, Mexico, and Germany moved up 14th to 16th, and Senegal moved up three places to 17th.