Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Zurich: The November edition of the FIFA.Coca-Cola World Rankings sees Korea Republic return to the top 50 for the first time in more than two years.
Korea Republic, who finished runners-up at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, moved up to 48th position in the world to sit five places below Asia’s top-ranked side Iran, while Japan complete a trio of Asian sides in the top 50.
The Taeguek Warriors had been out of the top 50 since August 2013 when they dropped from 43rd to 56th while four-time continental champions Japan make a quick return to 50th place having last held that position in July.
Reigning AFC Asian Cup champions Australia are in 60th place on the global list, seeing the Socceroos fourth amongst the AFC’s 46 member associations with the continent’s next eight sides (UAE 67th, Uzbekistan 71st, Saudi Arabia 80th, Jordan 82nd, China 84th, Qatar 85th, Iraq 87th, Oman 92nd) all featuring in the top 100.
Turkmenistan was Asia’s biggest mover in the November rankings with back-to-back wins over India and Guam in Group D 2018 FIFA World Cup/2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers seeing the Central Asians rise 34 places to 121st in the world and 15th in Asia behind Bahrain (115th) and DPR Korea (120th).
A total of 172 international “A” matches were taken into account in the November edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, bringing the total number of matches evaluated so far this year to 840, while the forthcoming joint-qualifying matches could see significant changes in the placing of AFC nations when the global game’s governing body publishes their final men’s ranking of 2015 on December 3.
Photo: AFP