The Indian men’s football team fell further in latest FIFA rankings, with the Blue Tigers ranked 124th in the update released on June 20, dropping three spots from the previous standings.
It was its worst ranking since March 9, 2017, when it was 132nd and the first after the exit of head coach Igor Stimac, who was shown the door after a poor showing in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, where India failed to qualify for the third round, after losses to Qatar and Afghanistan.
Stimac, who had joined as India’s head coach in 2019, helped the side win four titles over five years, including two SAFF Championship titles, one Intercontinental Cup and a Tri-Nations Series. As a result, India entered the top 100 of the rankings in July last year.
India coach Igor Stimac reacts after India conceded a goal against Qatar in the second round of FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
However, the team’s performance has plummeted since, losing nine of their 12 games, including a disastrous performance in the AFC Asian Cup, where it lost all three group-stage games without scoring a goal.
India had a chance to qualify for the third round of FIFA World Cup qualification after beating Kuwait on foreign soil. However, a draw and a loss to lower-ranked Afghanistan prompted ‘Stimac Out!’ chants among a fraction of Indian fans, with the Croat finally sacked by the All India Football Federation on June 17.
CHANGE OF GUARD
The current FIFA rankings were also India’s first rank in a post-Sunil Chhetri era in nearly 20 years. Chhetri, who made his debut against Pakistan in 2005, played his final match for the National team in Kolkata.
He was instrumental in taking India into the top 100 on multiple occasions and under Stimac as well is predecessor, Stephen Constantine. With 94 goals in 151 appearances, Chhetri hung up his boots after a goalless draw against Kuwait at the Salt Lake Stadium.
Sunil Chhetri parades around the pitch after his last international match at the Salt Lake Stadium at Kolkata. | Photo Credit: R. V. Moorthy / The Hindu
The AIFF later announced that Gurpreet Singh Sandhu would be the next India captain.
“The coach will appointed as early as possible so that the team doesn’t lose out on anything before the next FIFA window in September. They will soon sit together and start the process of finding a coach,” I. M. Vijayan, the chairperson of the AIFF Exececutive Committee, was quoted telling PTI.
“However, how do you find a replacement for Chhetri. That is going to very difficult as a great player like Chhetri comes rarely. We have some good strikers, and we are trying to get them to play as much as possible.
“The biggest issue is that our strikers don’t get a lot of playing time in domestic leagues, be it the ISL or the I-League.” In tournaments such as the ISL and I-League, the clubs look to recruit foreigners that serves their interest as they want to win trophies.
Comments
SHARE