Vietnam team 'attacks' FIFA rankings

The three matches against Nepal and Laos in October and November are an opportunity for the Vietnamese team to improve their score and climb back up the FIFA rankings.

Vietnam Team ACCUMULATES POINTS

Despite dropping 1 place on the FIFA rankings (to 114th), the Vietnam team's score is still maintained at 1,169.92. The reason is that Hoang Duc and his teammates only played 2 internal friendly matches against Nam Dinh Club (lost 0-4) and Hanoi Police Club (won 4-3). Coach Kim Sang-sik's focus, as well as Vietnam football, was completely devoted to the Vietnam U.23 team in September. Now it's time to return to the national team, which is still the face of football.

The Vietnamese team was once in the top 100 FIFA (mainly from 95th to 99th) during the 4 years coach Park Hang-seo was in charge, then fell out of this top in early 2024 with a losing streak that lasted from the 2026 World Cup qualifiers to the 2023 Asian Cup when coach Philippe Troussier was in charge.

The ranking only improved slightly when the Vietnamese team won 7/8 matches to win the AFF Cup 2024. However, with a modest number of points in the Southeast Asian playground, Mr. Kim Sang-sik's students are still hovering around the position of 115 or lower. The 0-4 defeat to Malaysia further reduced the position of the Vietnamese team, no longer superior to Indonesia or Malaysia in terms of ranking.

Vietnam team needs to break out again

PHOTO: Ngoc Linh

This is something that needs to be improved, because when having a good position (preferably in the top 100 of the FIFA rankings), the Vietnamese team will be placed in a high seed group in Asian playgrounds such as the Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers. If they are in group 1 or 2, Mr. Kim's students have a chance to get into a suitable group. If they fall to group 3, the risk of being in a difficult group will be much higher. Teams in groups 3 and 4 have always had almost no chance of qualifying for the World Cup or Asian Cup, with Indonesia being the only exception, thanks to the transformation with naturalized players.

The Vietnamese team is aiming for the 2027 Asian Cup finals (if they beat Malaysia) and the 2030 World Cup qualifiers, where FIFA rankings play a key role. Therefore, the period from late 2025 to mid-2026 is an opportunity for coach Kim Sang-sik and his students to accumulate "total" points, in order to build a solid foundation for the future.

GO ALL IN FOR EVERY MATCH

From now until mid-2026, the Vietnamese team will play the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers with matches against Nepal (2 matches in October 2025), Laos (November 2025), and Malaysia (March 2026). After that, the team will participate in the 2026 AFF Cup, where Mr. Kim and his team will have at least 4 group stage matches.

Because Laos, Nepal, and Malaysia are all ranked below the Vietnamese team on the FIFA rankings, our players will only get a modest number of points for each win, but on the contrary, if they lose, they will lose many points. For example, the Vietnamese team lost 13.99 points after a 0-4 loss to Malaysia, or before that, the double defeat (0-1 and 0-3) to Indonesia caused the team to lose 30.03 points, dropping 9 places on the FIFA rankings.

Therefore, it is time to focus all your strength on each match. The opportunity in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers is still there, because if the Vietnamese team takes all 9 points against Nepal (2 matches) and Laos, and Malaysia cannot win all 3 matches, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will regain the right to decide (beating Malaysia in March 2026 will win the ticket). The task of the Vietnamese team is to forget the white defeat at Bukit Jalil and start over.

The two home matches against weaker opponents Nepal (October 9 at Binh Duong Stadium and October 14 at Thong Nhat Stadium) are an opportunity for coach Kim Sang-sik to rejuvenate the squad and experiment. Of course, Mr. Kim still prioritizes veterans, those with international experience and do not need time to get used to the rhythm. However, it should be remembered that the U.23 team has had 2 months, with 7 matches, to absorb the philosophy of the Korean coach. 2 months of training U.23 Vietnam helped Mr. Kim grasp the abilities of his students, and in return, the players also got used to his coaching style and harsh requirements. With the energy from the young generation, the Vietnam team will take small, patient steps to return to where we belong on the FIFA rankings.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-tan-cong-vao-bang-xep-hang-fifa-185250919225542214.htm