Harimau Malaya leap seven rungs to 138th in FIFA rankings

KUALA LUMPUR – Harimau Malaya moved up seven spots to 138th in the FIFA world rankings, based on the list published by world football’s governing body.

A statement released on the official www.fifa.com website shows head coach Kim Pan-gon’s team collecting 1,082.13 points by adding 15.53 points this year to reach a ranking last attained in 2011.

Malaysia’s climb up the rankings is due to two big wins over Turkmenistan and Hong Kong in their Tier 1 international friendlies at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Johor last month.

The latest ranking puts them on par with the likes of Turkmenistan (world number 137), Saint Kitts and Nevis (139), and Nicaragua (140).

Malaysia’s 1082.13 points total is also higher than the figures posted by Indonesia (number 149 with 1046.14 points) and Singapore (number 158, 1014.04 points).

Meanwhile, three more Southeast Asian countries are ranked higher than Malaysia, with Vietnam placed 95th with 1229.69 points, Thailand 114th (1171.88 points), and the Philippines 136th (1097.67 points). – Bernama, April 6, 2023