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The elite football body, FIFA, has released the international rankings for November 2020, and Indian fans will be pleased with their team's new position. India has moved up to 104, a significant rise of four spots, in the recent FIFA rankings. The country was placed at 108 when the governing body previously released the rankings in October.
Igor Stimac's India has jumped five spots over two months. The Men in Blue found themselves in a spot of bother as they fell to 109 earlier this year. However, the team has regained the lost ground despite not playing any international games due to the pandemic.
India to resume international fixtures next
The Indian football team was set to play Qatar and Afghanistan in the FIFA 2022 WC Qualifiers and 2023 AFC Asian Cup joint qualification games this year. However, the pandemic forced the team to postpone their international commitments until 2021. India had reached their best-ever ranking, 96, in July 2017.
Where do the other teams find themselves in the FIFA rankings?
Qatar, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, the opponents that are in line to face the Blue Tigers, have undergone significant changes in their rankings as well. Qatar were in the 57th position in September 2020 but have dropped two spots. Afghanistan and Bangladesh have moved up one and three spots respectively, finishing at 150 and 184 according to the news release.
Nonetheless, the top six spots remain unchanged in the rankings. Belgium have kept their place on the top, followed by France, Brazil, England, and Portugal. Despite their recent thrashing of Germany, Spain has failed to make it to the top-five in the new FIFA rankings.
The 2014 World Cup winners, Germany, also have failed to retain their spot in the top 10 of the new FIFA rankings. The Germans were placed in ninth position when the rankings were released in September 2020, but Italy and Mexico have replaced Joachim Löw's side.
