The Indian national football team has jumped six places in the latest Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) rankings, which were published earlier today. Argentina remain as the top-ranked team in the world with 1634 points to their name, followed by Brazil and Germany in 3rd and 4th respectively.
The biggest movers in the latest edition of the FIFA rankings are Suriname – who have jumped 22 places to come in just above India at 128. While Swaziland recorded their best ever World Ranking of 99, improving by one place on their previous best of 100 which was recorded when the rankings were last announced.
India have made huge strides under manager Stephen Constantine and the rankings are a reflection of the same. However, this is still not India’s best ever rankings, which they managed in February of 1996 – when they were ranked 94. This is India’s best ranking in little over a decade.
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Under Constantine, the Blue Tigers have won 9 out of their 18 matches, drawing 2 and losing the other 7. India’s ranking has jumped courtesy of the increase in their points which has risen from 217 to 243 since the last rankings.
Following the improvement in their rankings, India now find themselves 19th in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Iran lead the AFC rankings and are ranked 29th in the world, followed by Korea Republic and Australia, who are ranked 37 and 44 respectively.
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Mauritania and Trinidad and Tobago saw the biggest drop in rankings, with each team dropping 5 places. Interestingly, the top 34 places in the rankings remain unchanged, which can be attributed to the lack of international fixtures during this period.
With FIFA unanimously voting for a 48-team World Cup from 2026, India have a good chance to make the cut if they continue to improve at this rate. However, the Blue Tigers have their work cut out as it will be extremely difficult to earn a qualification place but it is a challenge that India should be ready for in due course of time.
| Rank | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentina | 1634 |
| 2 | Brazil | 1544 |
| 3 | Germany | 1433 |
| 4 | Chile | 1404 |
| 5 | Belgium | 1368 |
| 6 | Colombia | 1345 |
| 7 | France | 1305 |
| 8 | Portugal | 1229 |
| 9 | Uruguay | 1187 |
| 10 | Spain | 1166 |
| 129 | India | 243 |
