Vietnam breaks FIFA ranking, closing in on Top 100 after over 2 years of waiting

Vietnam's national team rises to highest FIFA ranking in over 2 years, opening a major opportunity to return to Top 100.

The Vietnamese national team has reached its highest FIFA position in over two years, approaching the Top 100 globally and facing a significant opportunity to regain a milestone previously maintained. This is considered an important step forward under coach Kim Sang-sik after a period of fluctuations.

According to the FIFA rankings released on March 22, Vietnam climbs 5 places to rank 103 globally with 1,213.62 points. This is the best ranking since reaching 94th at the end of 2023, while the historical record remains the 84th position in September 1998.

Notably, the gap between Vietnam and the Top 100 is now only about 10 points. If defeating Bangladesh in the friendly match on March 26 and overcoming Malaysia in the final Asian Cup 2027 qualifying round on March 31, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team could very quickly return to the Top 100.

This improvement partly stems from AFC's decision to penalize Malaysia with a 0-3 loss in two matches due to player eligibility violations. This result adjusted Vietnam's outcome to a 3-0 win instead of the previous 0-4 loss, thereby not only recovering lost points but also gaining additional points under the Elo system, raising the total increase to around 25 points.

At the continental level, the Vietnamese national team also improves its position by rising to 18th in Asia, surpassing Kyrgyzstan. Meanwhile, Malaysia suffers a significant setback, dropping 14 places to 135th globally, continuing to decline due to penalties related to player documentation.

More importantly, Vietnam's resurgence is being clearly reinforced under coach Kim Sang-sik with a streak of 11 consecutive wins across all competitions. While during the 2017-2023 period under coach Park Hang Seo, the team frequently featured in the Top 100, the period after coach Philippe Troussier took over saw a decline in ranking. Currently, Vietnam is gradually regaining its position and is very close to returning to the world's top 100 teams.