South Korea are part of Group A alongside Mexico, South Africa, and Czechia, standing as one of the candidates to qualify for the following rounds of the 2026 World Cup, a status that is fully justified by their FIFA ranking.
South Korea are in the top 25 of the ranking, occupying exactly that 25th position, coming off three victories and two defeats in the friendly matches before the 2026 World Cup.
South Korea secured victories against El Salvador 1-0, Trinidad and Tobago 5-0, and Ghana 1-0, but they were defeated by Ivory Coast 4-0 and Austria 1-0, with Austria being the only team from their recent encounters that sits above them in the ranking in the 24th position.
The largest ranking differences in the World Cup
Taking into account the latest FIFA ranking, we observe that the largest gap between opponents in the group stage is 77 places, and there are several leading teams, such as Brazil, England, or Spain, that face teams ranked beyond the 65th position.
Son Heung Min of South Korea
Six-time champions Brazil enter the World Cup ranked sixth, while Haiti are in the 83rd position. The two countries have faced each other four times before, with the Brazilians achieving two victories by six goals in the last two duels, winning 7 to 1 in 2016 at the Copa America Centenario and 6-0 in a friendly in 2004. The qualification of Haiti represents one of the great stories of the tournament, as the Caribbean country arrives at the World Cup for the first time since 1974.
Another major case features Belgium and New Zealand, who have never faced each other in a senior men’s match. The Belgians, ninth in the FIFA ranking, have remained one of the most stable teams in the tournament even after transitioning from their golden generation. New Zealand, ranked 85th, return to the World Cup for the first time since 2010, when they left the tournament without having lost after their draws against Slovakia, Italy, and Paraguay.
The differences are found in several groups
In Group E, there is also another case of a large difference; the duel between Curacao and Germany, 10th in the FIFA ranking, in Houston will represent the first match in the World Cup for the Caribbean side. Ranked 82nd in the world, Curacao are the smallest country in population to have ever qualified for the FIFA World Cup and will find themselves against the four-time champions, who look to make amends after the disappointing eliminations of 2018 and 2022.
And as an extra to highlight the variety, there are Spain and Cape Verde, who will face each other for the first time in Atlanta in a match that represents one of the greatest contrasts in the tournament.
Spain are ranked second in the world ranking and appear as champions of the UEFA Euro 2004 on the back of a brilliant new generation with players like Lamine Yamal or Pedri. Cape Verde, 69th in the ranking, debut in the World Cup after years of progress, helped by the talent of the diaspora and an increase in local investment in soccer.
