Qatar climbs 38 places in FIFA rankings after Asian Cup win

Having won the Asian Cup for the first time earlier this month, Qatar has climbed 38 places in FIFA's world rankings.

Published : Feb 07, 2019 17:46 IST

Qatar lift the Asian Cup trophy

Qatar is the biggest movers in FIFA's first rankings update of 2019, ascending 38 places to 55th after its Asian Cup success.

Felix Sanchez's men went into this year's edition having never got past the quarterfinals, reaching the last eight in 1988 and 2011, both times as host.

But in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar went all the way despite not being considered among the favourites.

It won all seven of its matches, scoring 19 goals and conceding just one, in the 3-1 final triumph over Japan.

As a result of the success, Qatar becomes the fifth highest-ranked nation in the AFC behind Iran, Japan, South Korea and Australia.

Beaten finalists Japan has also enjoyed a significant rise, climbing 23 places to 27th.

By contrast, North Korea – who finished bottom of Qatar's Asian Cup group without any points – endured the biggest slide, dropping 12 spots to 121st.

The top 20 remains unchanged, with Belgium, France and Brazil keeping their respective places in first, second and third.