New Delhi: The Indian football team moved up two places to 101 in the latest FIFA rankings released on Thursday. India, who have not been in action since the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Asian Cup in January, had dropped six spots to 103 in the February edition after ending 2018 at 97. The team is at present without a head coach after Stephen Constantine stepped down from his position post their Asian Cup sojourn.
In the continental competition, India bowed out in the group stages after back-to-back defeats against hosts UAE (0-2) and Bahrain (0-1). But Sunil Chhetri and Co. started the tournament with a bang by recording their biggest win in the competition’s history after thrashing Thailand 4-1 in a Group A clash.
Meanwhile, Asian Cup champions Qatar continued to be ranked 55th with the UAE on 67 and Bahrain on 111. Thailand rose by a spot to 114. At the top of the rankings, Belgium continued to rule the roost followed by France and Brazil while England displaced World Cup runners up Croatia to the fourth spot and Uruguay climbed over Portugal to the sixth position.