It is really different from Korea. Despite the early confirmation of the World Cup, the expectations of the Japanese national team seem to be rising day by day.

The South Korean national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, drew 1-1 against Jordan in the 8th match of Group B of the 3rd qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup at Suwon World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 25th.

On this day, Korea got off to a good start with Lee Jae-sung's opening goal in the 5th minute of the first half. However, in the 30th minute, they allowed an equalizer from Mahmoud Al-Mardi after a counterattack. One mistake by Park Yong-woo directly led to the conceded goal.

As a result, Korea has recorded three consecutive draws from last November's match against Palestine to the match against Oman on the 20th and the match against Jordan on this day. In particular, failing to win both home matches has left a strong sense of regret.

Now, Korea maintains an uneasy first place in the group with 16 points (4 wins, 4 draws). Depending on the results of the June A match, 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 secure early qualification for the World Cup for the 11th consecutive time by winning both home matches. However, they only managed to add 2 points in the two matches, pushing their goal to a later date.

Fortunately, Palestine managed to hold Iraq back. Iraq, ranked 56th in FIFA, lost 1-2 to Palestine (ranked 101st) on the 26th. Despite taking the lead with Ayman Hussein's opening goal in the 34th minute of the first half, they suffered a shocking reversal by conceding goals in the 43rd minute and the 7 minutes of stoppage time.

If Iraq had won on that day and earned 15 points, they could have fiercely contested the first place with Korea. If Korea loses in the away match against Iraq in June, there is also a possibility of dropping to third place. However, with Iraq losing to Palestine, Korea only needs to draw against Iraq to secure their spot in the World Cup for the 11th consecutive time.

However, they cannot be overly happy. For South Korean football, which aims to challenge beyond just qualifying for the World Cup, the situation is quite grim. Currently, Korea is the only top-seeded nation in Asia that has not secured a spot in the World Cup finals. Neighboring Japan and strong Middle Eastern team Iran have already confirmed their qualifications and are planning their next steps. In particular, Japan has earned the World Cup ticket faster than any other nation in the world.

On the other hand, Japan, led by coach Hajime Moriyasu, drew 0-0 against Saudi Arabia in the 8th home match of the 3rd qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup at Saitama Stadium on the 25th.

Sending out a second-string team, Japan showcased a competitive performance against a Saudi Arabia squad fielding their best players. With 6 wins and 2 draws, Japan secured 20 points and confirmed their first place in Group C. Even if Japan loses all of their 9th and 10th qualifying matches in June and second-place Australia (13 points) wins all of their matches, Japan will still maintain the lead. Japan became the first nation to secure qualification for the World Cup finals by defeating Bahrain 2-0 in the 7th qualifying match on the 20th.

Ranked 15th in FIFA, Japan is the highest-ranked nation among the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) countries. In the 8 matches of the 3rd qualifying round, they scored 24 goals and only conceded 2, showcasing their overwhelming performance. The teams finishing in first and second place in each group of the 3rd qualifying round will receive direct tickets to the World Cup finals. While Japan is establishing a dominant position, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia are competing for the second place.

However, there is a lot of dissatisfaction within Japan regarding the match against Saudi Arabia. 'Sportiva' stated, "Similar to the match against Australia last October, it was a disappointing performance," adding, "It seems there is no way to break through when the opponent is determined to defend."

'Sportiva' pointed out, "The high ball possession was not because Japan dominated the opponent, but rather because the opponent prepared thoroughly for a counterattack, sitting back. When the opponent is determined to aim for a draw, there was no way to succeed. Japan is a good team, but they are not one that can be easily stopped, as predicted by the opposing coach."

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