The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) released the latest men’s national team rankings on the afternoon of September 18. Vietnam fell one place to 114th in the world with 1,169.92 points, even though the team did not play any official matches during September.

The decline was mainly due to positive performances by rival teams ranked closely behind, such as Indonesia, during the recent FIFA Days.

Within Southeast Asia, head coach Kim Sang Sik and his players maintained their second-place regional position, behind Thailand. The Thai national team rose one place to 101st globally with 1,222.2 points after defeating Fiji 3-0 and narrowly losing 0-1 to Iraq.

Indonesia also moved up the rankings by beating Chinese Taipei 6-0 and drawing with Lebanon, climbing to 118th, now just five places behind Vietnam.

At the top of the global standings, Spain made headlines by surpassing Argentina and France to claim the world’s number one spot for the first time since 2014. With victories over Bulgaria and Turkey in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Spain accumulated 1,875.37 points, edging out France (1,870.92) and Argentina (1,870.32).

This marks a strong resurgence for Spanish football under head coach Luis de la Fuente, who has guided a young squad with consistent form. The race at the top of the table is expected to remain highly competitive heading into October.

Thien Binh