Vietnam earned an additional 3.68 points following the 4-1 win over Laos and the 1-0 win against Indonesia, helping the team leapfrog Madagascar and North Korea to secure the 114th spot.
Since the start of 2024, Vietnam have dropped 20 positions from 94th. However, after hitting the bottom at 119th in October – the lowest since November 2017 when they ranked 125th – the team have regained five spots.
Nguyen Quang Hai (C) celebrates his goal in Vietnam’s 1-0 victory over Indonesia at the ASEAN Cup group stage in Viet Tri Stadium, Phu Tho Province, Dec. 15, 2024. Photo by Read/Hieu Luong |
The December FIFA rankings announced on Thursday do not account for Vietnam’s 1-1 draw against the Philippines on Dec. 18. In the January rankings, Vietnam are likely to lose points as their opponent is 33 spots behind in the rankings. These points are expected to be calculated in the March 2025 rankings.
Vietnam gained the third-most points in December update, following Hong Kong (4.18 points, ranked 155th) and Singapore (3.85 points, ranked 160th). Thailand gained 2.93 points but remained at 97th.
Indonesia, on the other hand, lost 1.7 points and dropped two spots to 127th after a 3-3 draw with Laos and a 0-1 loss to Vietnam.
For the entirety of 2024, Indonesia and Thailand were Southeast Asia’s best performers in FIFA rankings. Indonesia climbed 19 spots from 146th, while Thailand rose 16 spots from 113th.
In December, Myanmar lost the most points, dropping 4.8 points and two spots to 169th. Timor-Leste followed, losing 4.03 points and slipping one spot to 197th.
December did not feature any FIFA Days or official FIFA tournaments. Matches from the ASEAN Cup and games by some West Asian, African, and Oceanian teams were considered unofficial friendlies, carrying a low importance coefficient of 5. As a result, the points gained and ranking movements were limited. Based on the current standings, Vietnam and Thailand are unlikely to rise more than one position even if they win the 2024 ASEAN Cup.
The FIFA rankings were first introduced in December 1992 and are typically updated every one to two months. Teams are awarded points based on the importance of the matches. Friendlies during FIFA Days have a coefficient of 10, while Asian Cup matches before the quarterfinals have a coefficient of 35, and those after the quarterfinals are valued at 40. In addition to match results, the formula also incorporates expected results, reflecting the strength disparity between teams. If two teams have a significant gap in rankings, the lower-ranked team gain more points for a win and lose fewer points for a defeat.
FIFA rankings are significant as they are used for seeding in qualifiers and final tournaments for FIFA-related events like the World Cup and Asian Cup. However, they are not an absolute measure of a team’s strength or standing.
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