Indian Football: India move up to the106th position in the FIFA Rankings

A few days after emerging victorious in the SAFF Championship, the Indian football vertical witnessed the promotion of the Indian football team from the 107th spot to the 106th spot of the FIFA rankings.

India's performance in the SAFF Championship was full of ups and downs. They failed to start their campaign in fashion and went on to secure just two points in the first two matches, where they drew against Bangladesh (1-1) and Sri Lanka (0-0). Their draw against Sri Lanka had taken everyone aback. But soon after, from their next encounter, the fans witnessed the team getting back on track and playing the brand of football which they expect from the team. India went on to defeat Nepal and Maldives in their next two matches and in the final looked invincible against a mighty Nepal, whom they faced for the second time in the tournament.

India's ranking has improved, but a few years back, it was even better. In July, 2017, the Indian football vertical witnessed the country ranking 96th. This rank, till date, remains to be the best India has achieved. Unfortunately, they ended the year finishing in the 105th position. The best part was, the national team didn't lose a single game in that year. They drew two matches and won seven and also managed to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup (2019).

Since 2019, there has been a oscillating movement for India in the FIFA rankings. In 2019, they ended the year on the 108th position and in 2020, they managed to end on 104th. In September, 2021, however, there ranking went down from 105 (August) to 107.

As the nation moves a step ahead in terms of FIFA rankings, the U-23 side gears up for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers.

The Blue Tigers would be facing Oman on the 25th of October, UAE on the 28th and Kyrgyz Republic on the 31st.

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