JAKARTA: Praise came from FIFA for the Indonesian national team which skyrocketed eight places in the latest FIFA ranking list released on Thursday (4 April).
Meanwhile, Garuda shot up from 142nd position to 134th.
In its statement, FIFA highlighted that outside the top 100, the biggest movements can be seen, in which Libya (114th, up 6 positions) and Afghanistan (151st, up 7 positions).
However, the spotlight is on Indonesia (134th place, up 8 positions), which is recognized by FIFA as the national team that has experienced the most significant increase after achieving two brilliant wins over Vietnam in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.
The Indonesian national team received an additional 30.04 points thanks to these wins.
Indonesia beat Vietnam with a narrow score of 1-0 at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Jakarta, on March 21 2024.
The victory continued when the Red and White humiliated Vietnam at home at My Dinh Stadium, Hanoi, on March 26 2024, with a convincing 3-0 win.
Indonesia is now ranked third among Southeast Asian countries, behind Thailand and Vietnam.
Thailand is ranked 101st in the FIFA rankings.
Meanwhile, Vietnam experienced a drastic decline by losing 30.04 points, making it the country with the biggest decline from its previous ranking of 105th to 115th.