South Korea will likely see a steep fall in the FIFA rankings for this month following their disappointing losses in recent friendly matches.
The ranking prognosis tool offered in the FIFA website on Thursday showed South Korea are projected to mark 588 points for the October list, down 71 points from September when they were ranked at 51st in the world. Although final October FIFA rankings will be revealed on Monday, the Taeguk Warriors are destined to see a big drop from their current position and may fall out of the top 60.
South Korea's presumed ranking point for October is even lower than China that failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. China, ranked 62nd in September, are expected to get 626 points.
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South Korea`s national football team players react after they lost 3-1 to Morocco in a friendly football match at Tissot Arena in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, on Oct. 10, 2017. (Yonhap) |
South Korea, led by head coach Shin Tae-yong, suffered two straight losses in friendly football matches earlier this month. Shin's side, which qualified for the 2018 World Cup last month, suffered a 4-2 loss to Russia in Moscow on last Saturday and fell 3-1 to Morocco in Switzerland on Tuesday. Both opponents had lower rankings than South Korea.
FIFA previously announced that October FIFA rankings will be used to allocate World Cup qualified teams to the four pots according to their ranking in descending order. The top seven teams along with hosts Russia will be in pot 1.
South Korea are likely to face a tough draw for the 2018 World Cup as they will be one of the lowest seeded teams in pot 4. The 2002 World Cup semifinalists are expected to be in the same group containing at least two football powerhouses from Europe and South America.
The draw for the group stage of the 2018 World Cup is slated for December 1 at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow. (Yonhap)
