Why is the world's 198th-ranked team placed in the same group as Vietnam at the FIFA ASEAN CUP?

The inclusion of Pakistan in Division 1 with Vietnam at the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 has drawn criticism, given the South Asian side's poor FIFA ranking.

The presence of the Pakistan national team in Division 1 of the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 and sharing a group with Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines has surprised many fans. Considering the relative strength and current FIFA rankings, this is one of the most debated points after the group draw announcement.

According to the latest FIFA rankings, Pakistan is only ranked 198th in the world, higher only than Timor-Leste (ranked 201st) among the participating teams. Notably, Pakistan's ranking is even lower than all teams placed in Division 2, leading many to question FIFA's criteria for tier classification.

Pakistan's recent performances have also been unimpressive. In the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, the South Asian team only managed two draws against Afghanistan, while losing all four remaining matches against Myanmar and Syria, finishing bottom of Group E.

What makes fans even more puzzled is that Myanmar, a team that defeated Pakistan in both legs of the Asian Cup qualifiers and is ranked about 40 places higher on the FIFA ladder, was only placed in Division 2. This paradox has sparked widespread debate over FIFA's method of dividing the two tiers in this first-ever edition of the tournament.

Many opinions suggest that in terms of professional quality, moving Hong Kong (China) to Division 1 would be more logical. However, this team is the host of Division 2, so that option is almost impossible.

So far, FIFA has not disclosed the specific criteria for placing teams in each tier. The most common hypothesis is that after the Chinese national team withdrew, FIFA had to find a replacement team and Pakistan was chosen to fill the vacancy in Division 1.

However, this is still speculation. Notably, the group allocation process this year was quite low-key. There was no live draw ceremony as seen in typical international tournaments; fans only learned the results after FIFA officially announced the group list. This has further fueled questions about the tier classification and selection of teams for Division 1, making it a widely discussed topic.