India in FIFA rankings: Igor Stimac’s side falls further in the standings after loss to Afghanistan

The Indian men’s football team fell four spots in the recent FIFA World rankings to 121, following its loss to Afghanistan in the second round of World Cup 2026 qualifiers in Guwahati.

India captain Sunil Chhetri in action against Afghanistan in their last international game before the rankings, at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati. | Photo Credit: Ritu Raj Konwar / The Hindu

The Indian men’s national football team fell four spots in the latest FIFA rankings to 121, following its 1-2 loss to Afghanistan in the second round of World Cup 2026 qualifiers in Guwahati last month.

Igor Stimac’s side, which had broken into the top 100 last year, having won the Intercontinental Cup, the Tri-Nations tournament and the SAFF Championship.

But its performance has been on the fallen since. Though it registered a win against Kuwait in the World Cup qualifiers, its first away win in over two decades, its forgettable performance at the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar, where it lost all games without scoring a single goal, saw it fall 15 spots to 117th after the continental tournament.

In March, the Blue Tigers failed to beat Afghanistan, a side ranked 41 spots below it, over two legs, prompting outrage from fans and former national team footballers towards the head coach.

More to follow.