Although the victory didn’t earn Vietnam additional ranking points, head coach Kim Sang Sik’s team moved up to 110th in the latest FIFA update.

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Xuan Son and Tuan Hai helped Vietnam defeat Laos. Photo: Hai Hoang
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Vietnam climbs one place in the FIFA world rankings

Vietnam wasn't the only Southeast Asian team to gain ground. Thailand also rose by one position to 95th globally, retaining its top spot in the region after dominant wins over Sri Lanka (4–0) and Singapore (3–2). This FIFA Days campaign has been particularly fruitful for Thailand, which gained 7.91 ranking points.

Malaysia also improved, jumping two places to 116th after a 1–0 win against Nepal. The victory strengthened their hold on first place in Group F with a perfect 15 points, putting them three ahead of Vietnam.

As a result, the upcoming showdown between Malaysia and Vietnam next March is shaping up to be the de facto final of Group F.

However, the race is still wide open. Malaysia faces potential disciplinary action for allegedly fielding seven naturalized players using invalid documents, which could result in 0–3 forfeits in matches against Nepal and Vietnam.

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Top 10 in current FIFA world rankings

At the top of the global standings, there were changes as Portugal slipped to 6th after inconsistent performances, allowing Brazil to rise to 5th place.

Spain continues to lead the rankings with 1,877.18 points, followed closely by Argentina with 1,873.33 points and France in third with 1,870 points.

Thien Binh