The Indian football team (men’s ) achieved a significant milestone by breaking into the FIFA under-100 rankings for the first time since 2018. Following their victory at the SAFF Championship, India moved up one place to sit at 99th in the latest FIFA rankings released on Thursday.
The SAFF Championship victory turned out to be a turning point for India as they proved their potential by defeating strong teams like Lebanon and Kuwait in the semi-finals and finals. Both victories were achieved via penalty shootouts, adding to India’s growing reputation as a competitive force on the football field.
Lebanon, one of the West Asian countries invited to the SAFF Championship, has also improved its ranking, moving up two places to 100th place, just below India. Meanwhile, Kuwait, another West Asian entrant, moved up four places to rank 137th.
What to know more?
India’s current FIFA ranking is 99, totaling 1208.69 points. While this achievement is a major milestone for Indian football, it is worth noting that the best FIFA ranking in the country’s history was 94, which was achieved in 1996. Previously, India had risen to 99 in 1993 and 96 in 2017 and 2018.
Argentina retained the top spot, followed by France, Brazil, England, and Belgium. In Asia, Japan ranks 20th, with Iran (22), Australia (27), Korea (28), and Saudi Arabia (54) rounding out the top five, respectively.