FIFA announced the world ranking of the men’s national men’s soccer team on April 30 (Korea time). Korea, led by coach Jürgen Klinsmann, was ranked 23rd, up one notch from October. Korea’s ranking went up for four consecutive months.
It is ranked third among Asian countries. Japan topped Asia with 17th, followed by Iran at 21st. Korea ranked third, followed by Australia at 25th. Saudi Arabia ranked fifth in Asia with 57th.
Japan has made strides. Under the leadership of Coach Moriyasu Hajime, the Japanese team defeated both Myanmar and Syria 5-0 in the second Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-China-U.S. World Cup held in November. 토토사이트
Starting with a 6-0 landslide victory against El Salvador in June, Pajuk has already tied for eight consecutive wins. This is the longest winning streak in the history of the Japanese national team. As a result, FIFA’s ranking has vertically risen to 17th, catching up with Korea’s all-time high ranking set in 1998. Japan’s all-time high ranking is ninth.
In particular, the great victory in the away match against Germany in September was the highlight. At that time, Japan destroyed Germany by scoring four goals in a friendly match at the Volkswagen Arena in Germany. Junya Ito scored the first goal, and Ayase Ueda, Takuma Asano and Ao Tanaka scored consecutive goals in the second half.
Germany had a high market share, but Japan took the bottom line. Japan defended well against Germany’s attack and induced the opponent’s mistake with instantaneous strong forward pressure, systematic pass play, and fast counterattack. It was a game that Japan overwhelmed not only in the result but also in performance.
As a result, Japan advanced to the round of 16 by grabbing Spain as the top spot in the group. On the other hand, Germany lost its pride in its group stage for two consecutive tournaments following the 2018 World Cup in Russia, when it was lagging behind Korea.
Germany replaced its coach after its defeat in the match against Japan, but it still has a hard time. Julian Nagelsmann, who replaced Hanji Flick, recently lost to Turkiye (2-3) and Austria (0-2), shaking his head. Expectations for Germany’s 3-1 victory over the U.S. and 2-2 draw against Mexico have faded again.
The FIFA ranking point gap between Germany and FIFA is only 11 points. Japan, which scored 1620.19 points, is closely following Germany, which scored 1631.22 points. It was hard to imagine for Germany, which consistently stayed in the top 10 list.
Germany is all the more urgent as it will host UEFA Euro 2024. Even though FIFA ranking is just one indicator, chances are high that the team will be humiliated at the Euro tournament, which will be held at home for the first time in 36 years. Euro 2024 will kick off in June next year and will be held for a month.
On the contrary, attention is paid to how far Japan will continue. Japan started a long-term project in 2005, promising to host and win the 2050 World Cup in its own country. Of course, Japan’s World Cup victory is still a dream that is not easy to realize. However, it seems undeniable that Japanese soccer is growing tremendously based on solid plans.