FIFA rankings: India jumps three spots to reach 102nd place

In the latest FIFA rankings, the first of the year 2018, the Indian national football team got a small boost as they jumped three places to be ranked 102nd in the world. India’s rating points increased by 13 as their total now stands at 333.

The Blue Tigers finished 2017 in 105th place in the official world rankings, which marked a 30-rank jump from the start of the year. In the last 12 months, the national team enjoyed an incredible nine-match unbeaten streak under Stephen Constantine.

Last year was a monumental year in Indian football as they qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. The results boosted the team’s position in the overall rankings.

Team India also broke into Top 100 last year in May for the first time in 21 years when they were placed at the 100th spot along with Nicaragua, Lithuania and Estonia.

Also read: FIFA rankings: India likely to jump four spots to reach 101st place in January

It was predicted that India could probably rise to as high as 101 on the charts. However, it turns out that they have only made a three-place jump. They will, though, have the chance of improving their rank when they take on Kyrgyzstan in March in their final AFC Asian Cup qualification group match.

Constantine’s men could possibly break into the top 100 yet again as both Oman (101st) and Mauritania (102nd) are well within grasp.

As far as the top nations are concerned, Germany (1st), Brazil (2nd), Portugal (3rd), Argentina (4th) and Belgium (5th) maintained their positions at the top of the rankings. There were no changes for Spain (6th), Poland (7th), Switzerland (8th), France (9th) and Chile (10th) also in the rankings.