Vietnam fall further, Indonesia climb fast on FIFA ranking

Vietnam will be deducted 1.5 points for losing 0-3 to Russia and 4.52 points for the 1-2 defeat to Thailand at My Dinh Stadium, Hanoi in September friendly matches. The team will have 1,161.5 points and drop one place to 116th.

In the three most recent FIFA ranking updates in April, June and July, Vietnam only moved between 115th and 116th. Compared to the same period last year, Vietnam have dropped 21 places.

The 116th position is also the lowest of Vietnam since November 2017, when the team were 125th. Under coach Park Hang-seo, Vietnam maintained their position in the FIFA top 100 from November 2018 to January 2024. However, three consecutive defeats in the group stage of the Asian Cup earlier this year saw the team drop to 115th in February.

Que Ngoc Hai shows his disappointment when Vietnam lost 1-2 to Thailand in the friendly match at My Dinh Stadium, Hanoi on Sept. 10, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Hieu Luong.

Thailand move up one place, returning to the FIFA top 100, after their 18th win in history against Vietnam.

Indonesia continue to move up fast, rising four places to 129. They are expected to receive 15.45 points, after drawing against two strong teams, Saudi Arabia and Australia in group C of the 2026 World Cup third qualifying round.

Before that, Indonesia only had one draw against Saudi Arabia in 2011 and lost the remaining 11 matches. Eight months ago, they suffered a 0-4 defeat against Australia in the round of 16 of the 2023 Asian Cup.

Indonesia have climbed 46 places from 175th in September 2021. Coach Shin Tae-yong aims to break into the top 100 of FIFA, as part of his new contract with the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) until July 2027.

Malaysia earn 10.06 points to move up two places to 132, after beating the Philippines 2-1 and Lebanon 1-0 to win the 2024 Merdeka Cup on their home ground. Brunei will also get 25.1 points to move up seven places to 183, thanks to two wins over Macau in the playoff of the final qualifying round for the 2027 Asian Cup.

Other Southeast Asian teams are the Philippines at 147th, Singapore (161st), Myanmar (167th), Cambodia (180th), Laos (187th) and Timor Leste (196th).

The world's top 10 remained unchanged, with Argentina, France, Spain, England, Brazil, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, Colombia and Italy in that order. In the top 50, Australia are set to drop one place to 25th and suffer the most point deduction with 27, after losing 0-1 to Bahrain and drawing 0-0 against Indonesia.

Reigning Asian champions Qatar drop 10 places to 44th, after losing 22.39 points for the 1-3 defeat to the UAE and the 2-2 draw against North Korea at the World Cup qualifiers.