According to the latest rankings by world’s football governing body FIFA, Vietnam are in 95th place, one notch ahead of Palestine.

With games played on the FIFA days, both teams are expected to accumulate points in the global rankings, and more importantly hone in skills for upcoming international tournaments.

Previously in June, Thien Truong Stadium had played host to a friendly match between Vietnam and Syria.

Their 1-0 win ultimately saw Vietnam earn a further 8.54 points, helping the team to climb from 96th to 95th in the world’s rankings.

By being ranked among the world’s top 100 and Asia’s top 20, the Vietnamese national team won’t be required to take part in a play-off round in order to progress through to the group stage of qualifiers for both the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

All 36 teams in the region are set to be divided into nine groups, with the best two teams ultimately making it through to the third qualification round of the Asian region for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and making the finals of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

The team are scheduled to compete in World Cup qualifiers from mid-November to June, 2024.

Vietnam have been in Group F alongside the Philippines, Iraq, and the winner of the upcoming play-off match between Indonesia and Brunei. Vietnam’s opening match against the Philippines is scheduled to take place on November 16.

Source: VOV