Japanese soccer did not hold back in criticizing South Korea, which is struggling on its own.

'Football Channel' reported on the 27th (Korean time), "Only Korea remains. Japan and the Japan national team have secured qualification for the World Cup finals. In Korea, comparisons are being made between the Asian powerhouses and the current situation in Korea."

The South Korean national team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, played to a 1-1 draw against Jordan on the 25th in the 8th match of Group B during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers held at Suwon World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m.

On this day, Korea started off positively with a goal from Lee Jae-sung in the 5th minute of the first half. However, they allowed an equalizer in the 30th minute due to a counterattack from Mahmoud Al-Mardi. A mistake by Park Yong-woo directly led to the goal.

As a result, Korea recorded three consecutive draws in matches from the game against Palestine last November to the match against Oman on the 20th and the match against Jordan on this day. In particular, they left a deep disappointment by failing to win in both home games.

Now, Korea is holding an unstable first place in the group with 16 points (4 wins, 4 draws). Depending on the results of the June A matches, there is a possibility of being overtaken by second-place Jordan (13 points) or third-place Iraq (12 points).

In fact, the national team was determined to win these two home matches to secure qualification for the World Cup finals early for the 11th consecutive time. However, with only 2 points added from the two matches, this goal has been postponed.

Fortunately, Palestine managed to hold Iraq back. Iraq, ranked 56th in the FIFA rankings, lost 2-1 to Palestine (ranked 101st) on the 26th. Although they took the lead with a goal from Aymen Husein in the 34th minute of the first half, they suffered a shocking defeat by conceding goals in the 43rd minute of the second half and in stoppage time.

If Iraq had won that day and gained 15 points, they could have fiercely contested for first place in the group against Korea. If Korea were to lose in the June away match against Iraq, there was a chance they could drop to third place. However, Iraq lost to Palestine. Now, Korea will secure qualification for the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time just by drawing against Iraq.

However, there is no room for complacency. For Korean soccer, which is aiming for more than just World Cup qualification, this is not a situation that can be celebrated at all. Currently, Korea is the only top-seeded country in Asia that has not yet secured its spot in the finals. The neighboring country Japan and the strong Middle Eastern team Iran have already secured their spots and are planning ahead. In particular, Japan was the fastest in the world to obtain a World Cup ticket.

In response, Japanese fans have given a sharp rebuke. An article published on 'Yahoo Japan' included comments like, "Based on ability, Korea should rank within the top two, but I can't trust that in the World Cup. Japan and Iran are already confirmed. Korea is only dominant. There's a possibility to reconsider the notion of 'favorable group.'"

Additionally, opinions that Korean soccer needs to be more aware have continued. One fan criticized, "Currently, the number of World Cup tickets given to Asia is 8.5. If we're struggling in this fight, shouldn't we not qualify for the finals?" Another fan stated, "We looked down on our opponents and did not respect them. No matter how much we train, we won't get stronger like this."

There were even claims that in terms of skill, Korea and Japan are no longer rivals. Japanese fans expressed, "Right now, Korea's rivals are not Japan or Iran. They are Jordan and Iraq. Particularly, Jordan has a record of 1 win, 2 draws, and 1 loss since the Asian Cup. They are equally matched rivals in terms of skill," and "At this stage, thinking that we are on par with Japan or Iran is just a delusion. It's the result of having pride while unable to face reality."

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