South Korea has fallen to eighth place among the 12 third-placed teams following the completion of final group-stage matches on June 27, 2026 [1].
The team's precarious position leaves them on the brink of elimination, as only a limited number of third-place teams advance to the round-of-32. Their fate now depends on the final calculations of goal differences and points across multiple groups.
South Korea finished the group stage with three points [1]. While Iran and Senegal also earned three points, both teams surpassed South Korea in the rankings due to superior goal differences [1]. This shift in standing pushed the South Korean squad down to the eighth spot among the 12 teams vying for a wildcard advancement [1].
Despite the drop in ranking, South Korea avoided immediate elimination thanks to a result in another match. Uruguay lost 0-1 to Spain, finishing their group stage with two draws and one loss [1].
Because Uruguay finished with only two points [1], they remain below South Korea in the standings. This result prevented the South Korean team from being officially knocked out of the tournament early on Saturday [1].
Heo Jae-won, a reporter for YTN, said that Iran and Senegal overtook South Korea because they were ahead in goal difference despite having the same number of points [1]. He said that Uruguay's loss to Spain meant South Korea avoided a situation where their elimination from the round-of-32 was confirmed early in the day [1].
“South Korea has fallen to 8th place among the 12 third-placed teams”
The current ranking puts South Korea in a high-risk position where they no longer control their own destiny. Because they are ranked 8th out of 12, they require other results to swing in their favor to secure one of the few remaining slots in the round-of-32. The fact that Uruguay finished with fewer points provides a temporary safety net, but the superior goal differences of Iran and Senegal make the path to advancement significantly narrower.
