Vietnam has the most points deducted on the FIFA table

Vietnam lost 41.06 points in the FIFA rankings, dropping out of the top 100 and losing its top spot in Southeast Asia.

The FIFA rankings were announced today, February 15th, following the conclusion of the 2023 Asian Cup and the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON). Vietnam lost the most points and dropped 12 places, from 94th to 106th. This is a consequence of three defeats in the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup, where the team lost to Japan 2-4, Indonesia 0-1, and Iraq 1-3.

Following Vietnam in terms of points deducted are Algeria, which lost 38.97 points, dropping 13 places to 43rd; India, which lost 35.53 points, dropping 14 places to 116th; Guinea-Bissau, which lost 33.82 points, dropping 15 places to 118th; and Tunisia, which lost 33.37 points, dropping 13 places to 41st.

Vietnam lost to Iraq 2-3 in the final match of Group D at the 2023 Asian Cup on January 24. Photo: Lam Thoa — Vietnam lost to Iraq 2-3 in the final match of Group D at the 2023 Asian Cup on January 24. Photo: *Lam Thoa*

Vietnam concluded its streak of 1,905 consecutive days in the top 100 since November 29, 2018, and 2,248 days at the top of Southeast Asia since December 21, 2017.

Thailand leads Southeast Asia, climbing 12 places to 101st, thanks to their achievement of reaching the Round of 16 in the 2023 Asian Cup. Following them are Vietnam, Malaysia (132nd), Philippines (139th), Indonesia (144th), Singapore (155th), Myanmar (162nd), Cambodia (179th), Laos (189th), Brunei (194th), and Timor Leste (200th).

With their 2023 Asian Cup victory, Qatar gained 90.4 points – the most in the FIFA rankings – climbing 20 places to 38th. Angola came second with 72.83 points, rising 24 places to 93rd. 2023 Asian Cup runner-up Jordan gained 70.32 points, climbing 16 places to 71st. Following them were South Africa with 52.03 points, climbing seven places to 79th, and AFCON 2023 runner-up Nigeria with 47.83 points, climbing 14 places to 28th.

The world's top 10 remains unchanged with Argentina, France, England, Belgium, Brazil, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Croatia. Meanwhile, Japan, despite being eliminated from the Asian Cup quarterfinals, only dropped one place to 18th and still remains the top team in Asia. Following them are Iran (20th), South Korea (22nd), Australia (23rd), Qatar (38th), Saudi Arabia (53rd), Iraq (58th), Uzbekistan (65th), UAE (69th), and Jordan (71st).

The FIFA rankings were first introduced in December 1992 and are published every one to two months. Each team is scored based on the importance coefficient of the match. FIFA-scheduled friendly matches have a coefficient of only 10, while Asian Cup matches before the quarter-finals have a coefficient of 35, and after the quarter-finals have a coefficient of 40. Besides the match result, the formula also depends on the calculation of expected results, which is understood as the difference in strength between the two teams. The further apart the two teams are in the previous FIFA rankings, the more points the lower-ranked team gains for a win and the fewer points are deducted for a loss.

The FIFA rankings are important because they are used to determine seeding in the qualifying rounds and finals of FIFA-sanctioned tournaments such as the World Cup and Asian Cup. However, they are not an absolute measure of a team's strength and standing.

Hieu Luong

Source link