FIFA Rankings: India returns to top 100 after good show

Indian men's football team returned to the top 100 of FIFA Rankings in the latest update published by FIFA on Thursday.

Following a good show in Intercontinental Cup and the ongoing SAFF Championship, India gained 4.24 ranking points with five wins and two draws in June to become world number 100.

With an improvement in the global rankings, India has also improved their continental rankings and is ranked 18th in Asia.

The improved rankings also mean that India has leapfrogged Lebanon, who was ranked 99th before the start of the Intercontinental Cup earlier this month.

Commenting on the news, Indian head coach Igor Stimac said, "I'm happy with the news, but we need to cement that position in our next few games." Although, Stimac will be watching his team play from the stands as he is banned for two red cards in the tournament against Pakistan and Kuwait.

India has been on a good run in June, starting from Intercontinental Cup, where India defeated Lebanon in the finals to win the trophy.

In the SAFF Championship, India started defeating neighbours Pakistan and Nepal well and played a 1-1 draw against Kuwait. India will face Lebanon in the semi-finals of the SAFF Championship on July 1.

With World Cup 2026 qualifiers coming close, the current ranking will help India move to Pot 2 of the qualifiers, which essentially means that Igor Stimac and his men will avoid the eight high-ranked Asian teams.