Vietnam team ranked 94th in the world in 2023, top 15 in Asia, best in the region

On December 21, the International Football Federation (FIFA) announced the final rankings for 2023, with Argentina ranked No. 1. Vietnam ranked 94 and has been in the world's top 100 for the 5th consecutive year.

The Vietnamese team has continued to lead the Southeast Asian region since 2018, with a gap of 19 places over the second-placed team, Thailand. The 94th position in the world in 2023 of coach Philippe Troussier and his team has been guaranteed since the FIFA rankings in November 2023.

The Vietnam national team continues to make progress in the FIFA rankings under coach Philippe Troussier.

In November 2023, the Vietnamese team played 2 matches in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia with 1 win and 1 loss. Specifically, the Vietnamese team won the Philippines 2-0 on November 16 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila, with 2 goals scored by strikers Nguyen Van Toan and Nguyen Dinh Bac. In the next match, the Vietnamese team lost to the Iraqi team 0-1 at home at My Dinh Stadium on November 21, with a painful goal in the 90+7 minute of extra time scored by Mohanad Ali. With these results, the Vietnamese team was deducted a total of only 0.67 points on the FIFA rankings, currently at 1,235.58 points. These points will still be accumulated for the final December rankings in 2023, as the teams did not compete during this period. From January 2024, the Vietnamese team will participate in the 2023 Asian Cup finals in Qatar (taking place from January 12 to February 10, 2024). At the 2023 Asian Cup, the Vietnamese team is in Group D with the Japanese team and two opponents, Indonesia and Iraq. To prepare for the 2023 Asian Cup, the Vietnamese team will have a friendly match against Kyrgyzstan on January 9, 2024 in Qatar. Coach Philippe Troussier's team will play the opening match of the 2023 Asian Cup against the Japanese team at 6:30 p.m. on January 14, against the Indonesian team at 9:30 p.m. on January 19, and the final match of the group stage against the Iraqi team at 6:30 p.m. on January 24, 2024.

From the beginning of 2024, coach Philippe Troussier and his team will participate in the 2023 Asian Cup.

Meanwhile, in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia, the Vietnamese team ranked second in Group F with 3 points after 2 matches. The Iraqi team has 6 points after 2 wins. The Philippines and Indonesia teams have only 1 point. In the next round taking place in March 2024, the Vietnamese team will have 2 consecutive matches against their direct opponent, Indonesia, with the first leg away on March 21 and the second leg at home on March 26. In the first leg, the Indonesian team will be without captain and defender Asnawi Mangkualam due to a suspension.

Vietnam team is in the top 15 strongest teams in Asia on the FIFA rankings in 2023

In the final FIFA rankings of 2023, the Vietnamese team is still ranked 15th in Asia. Teams such as Thailand are ranked 113th in the world, 21st in Asia and 2nd in Southeast Asia. The Malaysian team rose to 3rd in Southeast Asia, 23rd in Asia and 130th in the world. Next is the Philippine team (ranked 140th in the world and 25th in Asia), the Indonesian team dropped to 146th in the world and 27th in Asia. In the world region, the Argentine team is still leading, followed by France, England, Belgium and the Brazilian team.

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