▲ South Korea's Ji So-yun is tackled by North Korea's Kang Chae-rim during the women's football group stage match between South Korea and North Korea at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, on September 21.
The South Korean women's national football team, which claimed the bronze medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, has climbed to 17th in the latest FIFA world rankings, marking its highest position in 40 months.
In the October women's world rankings announced by FIFA on October 20 (Korean time), South Korea placed 17th, moving up two spots from June.
This is the team's highest ranking in three years and four months, since it was ranked 17th in June 2023.
Among Asian Football Confederation (AFC) member states, South Korea ranks fourth behind Japan (5th), North Korea (12th), and Australia (15th), surpassing China, which dropped from 16th to 18th in the latest update.
South Korea's all-time highest FIFA ranking in women's football is 14th, last recorded in March 2019.
Led by head coach Shin Sang-woo, the South Korean women's national team secured the bronze medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which concluded earlier this month.
After losing 2-0 to host nation Japan in the semifinals, South Korea defeated China 1-0 in the third-place playoff, claiming a victory against China for the first time in 11 years and securing an Asian Games bronze medal for the first time in 8 years.
Unlike men's football at the Asian Games, which is restricted to players under 23 (U-23), the women's tournament has no age limits, meaning matches are recognized as official A-matches and the results are reflected in the FIFA rankings.
Spain maintained its position at the top of the women's world rankings, followed by the United States, Germany, England, and Japan in that order.
The final women's world rankings of the year will be announced on December 7.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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