Vietnam up one place in FIFA ranking

Vietnam are currently ranked on 1,258 points, unchanged since the start of 2020 since Madagascar, who previously peaked at 92nd with 1,264 points, relinquished seven points by losing to Burkina Faso in a friendly and drawing and losing against Ivory Coast in Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers during November.

Vietnam national football team celebrate after beating Indonesia in World Cup 2022 Asian qualifiers on October 15, 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Dong.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam have played no international matches in 2020, with World Cup 2022 Asian qualifiers and AFF Cup moving their calendars to next year. The Golden Dragons had to also cancel some friendlies to guarantee squad safety.

With their new position, Vietnam continue to lead the Southeast Asian region for the 39th consecutive month. Following them are Thailand (111th), who ascended two places, the Philippines (124th), Myanmar (137th), and Malaysia (153th).

In Asia, Japan lead the region (27th), followed by Iran (29th), and South Korea (38th).

The world’s top five positions are the same, with Belgium on top, followed by France, Brazil, England and Portugal.

At 93rd, Vietnam reached their second-highest FIFA ranking in history. The peak position was achieved in September 1998, when it was ranked 84th.

In 2021, Vietnam will have a chance to climb the rankings further following three World Cup 2022 Asian qualifiers against Malaysia, Indonesia and UAE in March and June, as well as AFF Cup in April.