Korea, World Cup 3rd Qualifying Round

Korea, World Cup 3rd Qualifying Round Could be a Thorny Path… Painful Draw Against Thailand

Falling from 3rd to 4th place in Asia after being pushed out by Australia, which won against Lebanon, if this continues, we will be grouped with one of Japan, Iran, and Australia in the third preliminary round.

As the Korean national soccer team ended in a draw with Thailand at home, there is a greater possibility that the road to the 2026 North and Central America World Cup finals will become more difficult. 메이저사이트

The Korean national soccer team, led by interim Coach Hwang Sun-hong, drew 1-1 in the third match of Group C of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asia 2nd qualifying round against Thailand held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 21st.

If they had achieved a refreshing multiple-goal victory against Thailand, who were considered to be one step below them, they would have been able to declare a ‘new start’ in a good mood, leaving behind the Qatar Asian Cup failure and repeated ‘incidents’ and ‘scandals’, but that was not possible.

What’s even more painful is that there is a greater possibility that Korea will be defeated by Australia in the FIFA rankings to be announced in April.

Korea ranks 22nd in the most recent FIFA rankings released in February.

Among Asian Football Confederation (AFC) member countries, it ranks third highest after Japan (18th) and Iran (20th).

Australia, which ranks fourth, is ranked 23rd, just below Korea.

However, while Korea ended up in a draw with Thailand, Australia in Group I of the second Asian preliminary round recorded a 2-0 win over Lebanon, setting the stage for them to overtake Korea and rise to third place in Asia.

Korea’s February FIFA ranking points were 1,566.21 points, and Australia’s were 1,554.82 points.

If the results of the previous day’s game are reflected according to the FIFA ranking calculation method, Korea lost 7.47 points, resulting in 1,558.74 points.

It falls two places to 24th place.

This is why Korea lost 7.47 ranking points even though it did not lose to Thailand.

Thailand’s FIFA ranking is 101st, a whopping 79 places lower than Korea.

Korea has maintained its third place in Asia since September of last year, but due to the draw against Thailand, there is a greater possibility that it will fall to fourth place in the rankings to be announced in April.

If things continue like this, Korea will have to walk a ‘thorny path’ in the 3rd Asian qualifying round starting in September.

The third preliminary round will be held with 18 participating countries competing in three groups of six teams each.

If you are ranked in the top 3 in Asia in the FIFA rankings, you will have a greater chance of being placed in pot 1 in the group draw and receiving a favorable group arrangement.

If Korea enters the group draw in 4th place, an unfortunate event will occur where it will be placed in a group with one of the ‘four Asian kings’ – Japan, Iran, or Australia.

This is why Korea should not be satisfied with ‘passing the second round of qualifying’.

To enter pot 1 in the third preliminary round draw, a team must win all three remaining games.

Only then can we surpass Australia and become third in Asia.

First of all, the 4th game against Thailand on the 26th is expected to be a critical moment.

It is expected to be a more difficult match than the third game.

Thailand, coached by Japanese coach Masatada Ishii, gained momentum by achieving a draw that was almost like a victory in the away game in Korea with solid defensive organization and sharp counterattacks.

On the other hand, Korea, which absolutely did not have enough time to add Director Hwang’s ‘color’, was in a panic.

It is unclear how much tactical perfection can be improved by the fourth game.

Taegeuk warriors also have to contend with the sweltering heat in Bangkok, where daytime temperatures approach 35 degrees.

Soccer commentator Han Jun-hee said, “Thailand is a team with a well-prepared manual for dealing with strong teams, and the players’ stamina is good enough to implement their game model.”

He added, “Korea can see Thailand’s strengths and movements through the third game.

“As we have experienced this, we need to come up with various preparations for the 4th game,” he said.

Commentator Park Chan-ha said, “Coach Hwang, who led the team that was broken under the full-time coach system as an interim coach rather than an official coach, was in a difficult situation where he had to bring about positive change even in conditions where it was not easy to do anything right away.”

“The fourth game will be a real test for Coach Hwang,” he said.