Vietnam drops in FIFA rankings, widens gap with rival Thailand

Vietnam and Indonesia have both dropped while Thailand have risen four places in the latest FIFA rankings following the current month’s matches.

Vietnam lost just 0.27 points after their 1-1 draw with India in a friendly on 12 October, leaving them at 1,161.11 places. However, they have dropped three places to 119th due to the remarkable progress of three African groups, namely Comoros (from 118th to 108th), Sudan (from 120th to 110th) and Zimbabwe (from 124th to 117th).

In the last four FIFA rankings in April, June, July and September, Vietnam have hovered somewhere between 115 and 116. This is a drop of 25 places from October 2023.

The 119th position is their lowest position since November 2017, when they were ranked 125. Under coach Park Hang-seo, Vietnam have consistently held a place in the top 100 from November 2018 to January 2024. However, three consecutive losses in the recent Asian Cup qualifiers have seen them drop to 115th in February.

Indonesia drew 1-1 with Bahrain but lost 1-2 to China in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. They were deducted 5.3 points and are likely to drop one place to 115th. 130th.

Thailand gained 8.7 points and climbed four places to 96th thanks to victories over the Philippines (3-1) and Syria (2-1) to win the King’s Cup. This is Thailand’s highest position in 16 years, having been ranked 93rd in June 2008. During this time, Thailand dropped to 165th in October 2014.

The current 23-place gap with Vietnam is the largest between the two groups since September 2021, when Vietnam were ranked 95th and Thailand were ranked 122nd.

Vietnam’s drop could continue as they currently have no friendlies scheduled for November. After all, the team will be training in South Korea in preparation for the 2024 AFF Cup. Indonesia will not have it any easier either, as they will next face Japan and Saudi Arabia in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

In Southeast Asia, Malaysia dropped one place to 133rd after a 0-4 loss to New Zealand, while the Philippines moved up three places to 133rd. 145th after a 3-0 win over Tajikistan. The other groups include Singapore (162nd), Myanmar (165th), Cambodia (180th), Brunei (184th), Laos (187th) and Timor-Leste (196th).

The top six teams in the world remain the same, with Argentina, France, Spain, England, Brazil and Belgium at the top. Portugal have climbed to seventh, replacing the Netherlands, while Italy have moved up to 10th, replacing Colombia. In the top 50, Tunisia have dropped 11 places to 47th, losing the most points (26.34) after a 1-0 defeat and 1-1 draw against Comoros, a group outside the top 100.

The FIFA rankings were first published in December 1992 and are released every one to two months. The points for each group are determined based on the importance of the match. FIFA-scheduled friendlies have a weighting variable of 10, while Asian Cup matches before the quarterfinals have a component of 35 and matches after the quarterfinals have a component of 40. In addition to match results, the calculation is also based on normal results, taking into account the power gap between two groups. The further apart the two groups are in the rankings, the more attention the lower-ranked group receives when they win and the less points the lower-ranked group loses when they lose.

FIFA rankings are important for determining seeding in the qualifying rounds and finals of FIFA-related competitions, such as the World Cup and Asian Cup. However, they are not a complete indicator of a group’s unity and standing.