SEOUL, June 17 (AJP) - South Korea was upgraded to 13th in The Athletic's latest ranking of all 48 teams at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after opening the tournament with a comeback win over Czechia.
The Athletic, the sports outlet owned by The New York Times, placed South Korea ahead of Uruguay, Senegal, Egypt, Belgium, the United States and Japan, despite the team sitting outside the top 20 in FIFA's official world rankings.
South Korea defeated Czechia 2-1 in its Group A opener at Guadalajarff Stadium after falling behind in the second half.
Ladislav Krejci gave the Czech Republic the lead, but Hwang In-beom equalized before substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu scored the winner in the 80th minute.
The Athletic said South Korea had a shaky spell after going a goal down and needed key saves from goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu, but added the team were "good value for the win." The outlet said the result left South Korea with "one foot in the knockout stages already."
South Korea will next face Mexico at 10 a.m. (0100 GMT), Friday in a match that could help decide the top spot in Group A.
Joonha Yoo
Joonha Yoo is a bilingual journalist at AJU Press (AJP), covering music, culture, entertainment and Korea’s automotive industry.
Raised in Fort Collins, Colorado, he often writes from the scene, bringing firsthand detail to stories ranging
from BTS comeback concerts to unique cultural events that catch the world's eye.
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