The Indian men's football team dropped three places to be ranked 124th in the latest FIFA rankings that was released on Thursday. It is India's worst ranking since March 9, 2017, when they were ranked 132nd. The decline comes right after an unsuccessful campaign of the Indian team in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and the abrupt resignation of head coach Igor Stimac.
This places India at 22nd in Asia, behind teams like Lebanon, Palestine, and Vietnam.
This reason India failed to qualify for the third round of Qualifiers, losing against Qatar and Afghanistan.
In the five years under Stimac, India won four titles, which included two SAF Championships, one Intercontinental Cup, and one Tri-Nations Series. They broke into the top 100 in the rankings last July, buoyed by their fine performance.
However, the team's performance has since witnessed a serious decline, losing nine of its twelve matches played. This includes some appalling readings at the AFC Asian Cup, where they mislaid all three of its group stage matches without finding the back of the net.
This comes as the first FIFA ranking of the Blue Tigers in almost two decades without star striker and Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri, who hanged up his boots earlier this month. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is captaining the squad currently.
Read also | Marcus Stoinis Rises to the Top in Latest T20I All-Rounder Rankings
Read also | Alcaraz Overcomes Mid-Match Struggles to Secure Victory at Queen's Club
