India has risen by five ranks and stands at 101 in the latest international rankings released by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). Victories against Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan in the recent tri-nation tournament in Imphal helped the national team secure 8.57 rating points and garner a total of 1200.46 points.
However, the Igor Stimac-coached side is still ranked 19th amongst the 46 Asian nations included in the FIFA standings. That is an arguably point of concern considering that only nine teams from the continent have a chance of making it to the FIFA World Cup at any stage. As of now, India is placed one spot below New Zealand, who are ranked 100th.
India has rarely made it to the top 100 of the FIFA rankings and the country’s best ever finish was at the 94th spot way back in 1996.
Japan tops the rankings at the 20th spot with 1593 points whereas the other teams from the continent placed ahead of India include Iran, South Korea, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Uzbekistan, China, Jordan, Bahrain, Syria, Palestine, Vietnam, Kyrhyzstan and Lebanon. Tajikistan, Thailand, North Korea, Philippines, Turkmenistan, Malaysia, Kuwait, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Maldives and Afghanistan follow India respectively.
Late in March, India emerged victorious in a tri-nation tournament involving Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan as the team is gearing up to participate in the AFC Asian Cup scheduled to be held in Qatar in January-February 2024. The Sunil Chhetri-led side first defeated Myanmar 1-0 courtesy a goal from Anirudh Thapa and then struck twice with the skipper and defender Sandesh Jhingan netting once each to overcome Kyrgyzstan.
Meanwhile, Brazil, Argentina and France occupy the top three spots in the FIFA worldwide rankings. Anyways, India’s qualification prospects for the next FIFA World Cup will be determined only through the qualifiers that will take place over the course of the coming couple of years.
(Edited by : Jerome Anthony)
