"Now We Have to Cheer for Egypt" South Korea Drops to Seventh, on the Brink of Round of 32... Senegal Crushes Iraq
Rank Among Third-Place Teams Drops from Sixth to Seventh
Must Finish Eighth or Higher to Reach Round of 32
South Korea's Round of 32 Chances Drop from 87.6% to 36%
After Senegal achieved a resounding 5-0 victory over Iraq, South Korea dropped to seventh place among the third-place teams competing for a spot in the Round of 32 at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup.
In the early hours of June 27 (Korea Standard Time), Senegal defeated Iraq 5-0 in the final Group I match of the group stage at Toronto Stadium in Canada. Having secured their first win after two losses, Senegal finished with one win and two losses, collecting three points and maintaining third place in their group. Among the twelve third-place teams across all groups, Senegal moved up to fifth place in the ranking of third-place teams, of which the top eight earn a spot in the next round.
As a result, South Korea dropped from sixth to seventh in the third-place team ranking. Starting with this tournament, with the number of participating countries increased to 48, not only the first and second place teams from each of the twelve groups but also the top eight third-place teams will advance to the Round of 32. For South Korea to reach the Round of 32, they must finish at least eighth among all third-place teams once all group stage matches are completed.
According to football statistics outlet Opta, after South Korea’s loss to South Africa on the 25th, the team’s probability of advancing to the Round of 32 was estimated at 87.6%. However, following the result of the Senegal-Iraq match, South Korea’s chances were downgraded to 36%.
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With this match result, one of the six possible scenarios that could have enabled South Korea to advance to the Round of 32 was eliminated. If two or more teams finish ahead of South Korea in the remaining final matches of Groups H, G, J, K, and L, South Korea will no longer be able to qualify for the Round of 32.
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