Seoul: South Korea has maintained its position at No. 22 in the latest FIFA rankings, released on Thursday, following two consecutive victories this month. This ranking bolsters South Korea's prospects for a favorable position in the upcoming World Cup draw.
According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea achieved a 2-0 victory over Bolivia last Friday and followed it up with a 1-0 win against Ghana on Tuesday. These results added 5.53 points to South Korea's tally, bringing it to 1,599.45 points, ensuring their No. 22 ranking. This ranking is significant as it likely places South Korea in Pot 2 for the World Cup draw, scheduled for December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, or December 6 in South Korean time.
A total of 48 nations will be divided into four pots of 12 teams each for the draw. Pot 1 will include the three co-host nations-the United States, Mexico, and Canada-and the nine best teams in the FIFA rankings that have qualified for the World Cup. These teams are Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.
Pot 2 will consist of the next 12 best-qualified nations. With interconfederation and European playoffs still pending, South Korea is currently the 20th highest-ranked team among the 42 countries already qualified for the World Cup. Italy and Denmark, ranked above South Korea, must win their European playoffs to qualify. It is unclear how playoff winners will be seeded for the draw, but South Korea is expected to remain in Pot 2 even if Italy and Denmark qualify and are slotted ahead based on FIFA rankings.
As things stand, Pot 2 is projected to include teams like Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, and Australia. Each of the 12 groups will have one team from each pot, ensuring South Korea avoids facing teams like Croatia and Morocco in the group stage. Additionally, teams from the same continent, except for European teams, cannot be placed in the same group.
Pot 3 will include Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. Pot 4 will comprise Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curacao, Haiti, and New Zealand.