File image of the Indian football team©AFP
India’s men’s football team achieved a sub-100 FIFA ranking for the first time since 2018 on Thursday, having moved up one spot to 99th after winning the SAFF Championship. India had beaten strong teams Lebanon and Kuwait on penalties in the semi-finals and final respectively in the SAFF Championships in Bengaluru earlier this month.
Lebanon also gained two places to move just below India in 100th place, while Kuwait rose four places to 137th in the latest FIFA hit list released on Thursday.
The West Asian nations of Lebanon and Kuwait were invited to the SAFF Championships to ensure strong competition in the tournament.
India now has 1208.69 points.
India’s best FIFA ranking was 94th place, achieved in 1996. The country had also reached 99th place in 1993 and 96th place in 2017 and 2018. It was placed 100th last month.
Overall, world champions Argentina remained at the top, followed by France, Brazil, England and Belgium.
In Asia, Japan led the list in 20th place, followed by Iran (22), Australia (27), Korea (28) and Saudi Arabia (54) in the top five.
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