Sports
Japan Rises to 17th, Korea Crashes to 32nd, and Fans Argue Over What 'Asia's Only Survivor' Is Worth
After the 2026 World Cup, the updated FIFA ranking put Japan up one place to 17th, the highest of any Asian side, while group-stage casualty South Korea fell seven places to 32nd. A Spanish paper summed up the tournament as 'an unexpected and major Asian collapse,' saying Japan alone defended the continent's honor. Japanese commenters split hard: one camp treated a three-tournament group-stage streak as genuine progress, while another pointed out that Japan's only win came against far-weaker Tunisia and that the team still goes out early. Running underneath was a broader argument that Asia's expanded World Cup allocation is now too generous.