Vietnam narrow gap with Thailand on FIFA rankings

Updated: 14:01, 08/01/2025

Vietnam's men football team are expected to climb two places, while Thailand will move down one in the FIFA rankings after the 2024 ASEAN Cup.

The FIFA rankings were last updated on Dec. 18, 2024, when Vietnam's victories against Laos and Indonesia moved them up two places to 114th.

Nguyen Xuan Son (L) tries to escape Nicholas Mickelson during the first leg of ASEAN Cup final between Vietnam and Thailand in Viet Tri Stadium, Phu Tho Province, on Jan. 2, 2025.

Following their final victory in the ASEAN Cup, Vietnam are projected to climb further, gaining an additional 10.22 points after six matches, including a 1-1 draw with the Philippines, a 5-0 win over Myanmar, 2-0 and 3-1 victories against Singapore in the semifinals, and 2-1 and 3-2 wins over Thailand in the final.

These results are expected to place Vietnam at 112th in the next ranking update in February 2025.

Thailand are set to drop one place to 98th after losing 6.05 points. They recorded three losses and two wins in the tournament: a 3-2 victory over Cambodia in the group stage, a 1-2 loss to the Philippines in the first leg of the semifinals, a 3-1 extra-time win in the second leg, and two consecutive defeats against Vietnam in the final.

In October 2024, Thailand and Vietnam were separated by 25 places on the FIFA rankings, with Thailand at 96th and Vietnam at 119th. Following the ASEAN Cup, the gap has narrowed to 14.

Both teams will shift focus to the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup, starting in March. Thailand will face Sri Lanka in Group D, while Vietnam will take on Laos in Group F.

The qualifying round features 24 teams divided into six groups, with home and away matches determining the six group winners that will join 18 teams from the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in the 2027 Asian Cup.

Other Southeast Asian teams will also see changes in the February update of the rankings. Indonesia will drop three places to 130th and the Philippines will move up to 147th.

The rankings for Malaysia (132nd), Singapore (161st), Myanmar (169th), Cambodia (180th), Brunei (184th), Laos (186th) and Timor Leste (197th) are expected to remain unchanged.

FIFA first introduced its ranking system in December 1992. Rankings are typically updated every one to two months, awarding points based on match importance, with coefficients such as 10 for friendlies, 35 for Asian Cup matches before the quarterfinals and 40 for matches from the quarterfinals onwards.

Points are calculated using a formula that considers match results and expected outcomes, factoring in the strength differential between teams.

FIFA rankings play a significant role in seeding for qualifying rounds and main events of major tournaments such as the World Cup and Asian Cup. However, it is not an absolute measure of a team's strength or standing.