Indian football team sees further drop in FIFA Rankings
The Indian football team are yet to win a game in the 2024 calendar year and is currently in dire straits, if that term can be applicable. Prior to the start of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in June, India were ranked 121 in the FIFA Rankings. But now, after their campaign ended in a harsh note, with an allegedly controversial loss to Qatar, the Blue Tigers have seen another drop in their rankings.
The latest FIFA Rankings, which have been published on June 20, 2024, have placed India on the 124th place in the world rankings. The recent results (draw against Kuwait and loss to Qatar) have played an influential role in determining India's new rank.
Speaking of the other world rankings, Argentina see them in the first place while the last (210) place has been taken by San Marino.
India's poor performance at the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
The Indian football team under the tutelage of Igor Stimac were determined to salvage a spot in the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. They had to win against Kuwait in order to achieve the feat. Moreover, that fixture was also India's former skipper Sunil Chhetri's last international outing.
However, unfortunately, India failed to live up to the expectations and accumulated just a point from the two outings against Kuwait and Qatar. The All India Football Federation officials seemed displeased with Igor Stimac's performance, since India are yet to achieve a victory in 2024, and went on to part ways with the Croatian.
In 2024, India took part in the AFC Asian Cup in Doha in January. Not only did the Blue Tigers fail to secure a win or a point, they also didn't succeed in finding the back of the net. As March came over, India had a great opportunity to get back to winning ways. They were set to face Afghanistan in the qualifiers, a team which currently find themselves in the 151st position in the FIFA Rankings. Across two legs, India managed to secure just a point and even lost at home to the Ashley Westwood-coached side.
Then came the June qualifiers, whose results ultimately led to the departure of Igor Stimac. India are currently seeking applications for the head coach role and candidates such as Trevor James Morgan and Staikos Vergetis have already applied for the same.