South Korea's women's national football team has risen in the FIFA world rankings on the strength of its bronze medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
In the October women's rankings released by FIFA on the 20th, Korea stood at No. 17, up two places from the June release. It is the first time the team has held that spot in three years and four months, since June 2023.
The country's best-ever mark was No. 14 in March 2019, meaning the team could aim to reclaim its highest ranking next year if the current momentum holds.
Among member nations of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Korea ranks fourth behind Japan (No. 5), North Korea (No. 12) and Australia (No. 15). Notably, China, which was No. 16 in the previous release, slipped two places to No. 18, allowing Korea to leapfrog its rival.
The springboard for the rise was the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which closed earlier this month. The squad, led by head coach Shin Sang-woo, fell 0-2 to host Japan in the semifinals but beat China 1-0 in the third-place match, returning to the Asian Games podium for the first time in eight years. The win over China carried added weight as it was the team's first in 11 years.
Spain held on to the top spot in the world rankings, followed by the United States, Germany, England and Japan, leaving the upper tier unchanged. The final women's world rankings of the year will be released on Dec. 7.