Oh Hyun-gyu's winner lifts South Korea 3 spots to 22nd in FIFA rankings

South Korea's 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic in their opening Group A match at the 2026 North America World Cup pushed the national team three places up in the FIFA rankings.

According to FIFA on Saturday, South Korea gained 20.92 points from the win, bringing its total to 1,612.55 and lifting it from 25th to 22nd.

The point gain allowed South Korea to leapfrog Turkey in 23rd (1,605.73 points), Ecuador in 24th (1,598.52) and Austria in 25th (1,597.40).

The squad, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 on Friday in the World Cup Group A opener at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico.

South Korea conceded first when Ladislav Krejci of Wolverhampton scored in the 59th minute, but Hwang In-beom equalized in the 67th minute off an assist from Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain. Oh Hyun-gyu then completed the comeback with the winner in the 80th minute.

Mexico (1,700.98 points), the other Group A side to win on Friday, climbed one spot to 13th.

The United States (1,688.53 points) rose two places to 15th.

Since April, FIFA has updated its rankings and point tallies in real time after each match, replacing the previous system of publishing monthly updates once all scheduled games in a given month were completed.

“메시도 AI가 분석한다” 월드컵에 등장한 ‘로봇 심판 군단’[나우,어스]

https://biz.heraldcorp.com/article/10771035

At the 2026 North America World Cup, which kicked off Thursday in Korean Standard Time, AI is on the pitch alongside the players — analyzing offside calls and tracking smart footballs. (Seo Ji-yeon)