National team rises to 44th in world rankings

The Korean national football team moved up three spots to 44th overall in the latest FIFA World Rankings, which were released on Wednesday. Having won one, tied one and lost two matches at the 2010 South Africa World Cup against Greece, Argentina, Nigeria and Uruguay, respectively, Korea now sits one spot behind Bulgaria and a spot ahead of Burkina Faso.

Korea’s archrival Japan, on the other hand, moved up 13 spots to 32nd overall. Japan managed two wins and one tie in the group stage and lost on penalty kicks to Paraguay in the Round of 16.

Spain, which won the World Cup this year, moved up from No. 2 to claim the top spot while the Dutch, who finished in the runner-up position, rose two spots to second overall. Germany moved up two spots to fourth overall while Uruguay moved up 10 spots to take the No. 6 spot.