Hanoi [Vietnam], November 14: Just before the match against Kyrgyzstan on November 17th, the Vietnamese national team received incredibly good news: they unexpectedly rose to 98th in the world rankings, due to their opponent Mozambique losing 0-1 to Ethiopia in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers and dropping in the rankings.
Mozambique will have 23.8 to 24 points deducted, giving the Vietnamese team a chance to move up in the rankings.
Before the match against Ethiopia on the evening of November 13th, the Mozambique national team was ranked 98th in the world with 1,238.23 points on the FIFA rankings
However, this position changed when Mozambique suffered a shocking 0-1 defeat to Ethiopia in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers on November 13, resulting in a significant points deduction and a drop in the rankings.
Accordingly, because the Mozambique team (ranked 98th) is ranked higher than Ethiopia, which is ranked 147th in the world, and the match is also counted with the highest coefficient on the FIFA rankings because it is a qualifying round for the African Cup of Nations, the expected number of points deducted is around 23.8 to 24 points.
With these points deducted, the Mozambique team is expected to drop to 99th place with only 1,214.43 points. Meanwhile, the Vietnam team, with 1,233.64 points, has risen to 98th place in the world rankings.
The Mozambique team still has a rematch against Ethiopia on November 17th to hopefully regain victory and improve their current significant points deficit in the FIFA rankings. However, even if they win, they will only gain a much lower number of points than they lost in the defeat on November 13th.
At the same time, matches of teams in this region such as China (world rank 96) against Malaysia; Bahrain (97) against Yemen; Tajikistan (rank 100) against Oman, all took place on November 14.
The results of these matches could further shake up the positions of teams currently in the top 100 in the world, after FIFA officially updates and publishes the real-time rankings, expected on November 15th.
The official FIFA rankings for the November FIFA Days
The Vietnamese national team is guaranteed a place in the top 100 in the world, with a very high chance of continuing to climb the rankings.
During the FIFA Days international friendly matches in November, after their 2-0 victory against Taiwan on November 11th, the Vietnamese national team will face Kyrgyzstan (ranked 104th in the world) on November 17th at 7 PM at Thien Truong Stadium.
If coach Kim Sang-sik's team wins against Kyrgyzstan, they will gain approximately 4.68 points on the FIFA rankings. This will add to their current points total (1,233.64 points), thereby solidifying Vietnam's position in the top 100 in the world.
Given the recent developments, with Mozambique dropping in the rankings, and even if they win against Ethiopia in the rematch, they will still lose a significant number of points, it is highly likely that after the FIFA Days in November, the Vietnamese national team will rise at least one place from 99th to 98th in the world rankings. And finishing 2026 in the top 100 is almost certain.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper