South Korea Ranked 48th in World
By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter
The South Korean national football team fell two spots to 48th as FIFA released its world rankings on Wednesday, while Brazil has retaken pole position for the first time in three years.
South Korea scored 634 points in July but lost 20 in June, falling two spots to its worst ranking in three years.
The slip came as the team drew with Saudi Arabia (0-0) and Iran (1-1) in World Cup qualifying matches.
Meanwhile, Confederations Cup champion Brazil, ranked fifth, replaced Spain at the top, sending the winner of the playoff for third place to No. 2. Spain's unbeaten streak of 35 games came to an end in the semifinals against the United States.
The Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Russia, England and Argentina are ranked Nos. 3 to 8.
North Korea, which has qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time in 44 years, climbed from 106th to 83rd, while Japan dropped nine places to 40th.