Vietnam National Team Approaches Top 100 in the World

Coach Kim Sang-sik's team gained an additional 24.11 points, bringing them closer to the Top 100 milestone. Vietnam's rapid ranking improvement is due to points earned from the match against Malaysia in the second round of Group F for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. After the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) penalized Malaysia with a 0-3 forfeit loss for using an ineligible player in wins against Nepal and Vietnam, Coach Kim Sang-sik's team secured an early qualification for the 2027 Asian Cup finals.

According to the plan, on March 23, Vietnam National Team will have full squad availability for training and matches during the FIFA Days in March 2026. During this period, Coach Kim Sang-sik's team will play two international matches: a friendly against Bangladesh on March 26 and hosting Malaysia on March 31 in the final qualifier for the 2027 Asian Cup.

This is considered a significant boost both in ranking and psychologically. Vietnam National Team has the opportunity to accumulate more points by facing Bangladesh and rematching Malaysia. In Southeast Asia, Vietnam remains second but has narrowed the gap with top-ranked Thailand to just 7 places.

If positive results are achieved in these two matches, Vietnam's FIFA ranking position will continue to improve and soon return to the Top 100 globally. This is also an achievement Vietnamese football previously attained under Coach Park Hang-seo in 2023.