Bangladesh have dropped to 182nd in the latest FIFA world rankings, compounding their misery following a disastrous campaign at the FIFA ASEAN Cup in Indonesia.
The latest standings, released on Wednesday, show Bangladesh slipping one place from 181st to 182nd after losing 2.66 points to settle on 893.46.
The fall comes as no surprise after a dismal tournament where Bangladesh failed to secure a single victory. Across three group-stage matches, they managed to score just twice while leaking an alarming 13 goals.
The campaign opened with a 3-0 defeat against Malaysia. A tighter contest followed against Singapore, though Bangladesh still walked away with a 1-0 loss. However, their defensive weaknesses were completely exposed in their final group fixture against hosts Indonesia, where they suffered a heavy 9-2 thrashing. Conceding nine times in a single match firmly highlighted the team’s ongoing struggles on the international stage.
As a result of this poor run, Chad climbed two places to 181st, overtaking Bangladesh in the global standings. Just below them, Eritrea moved up one spot to 183rd, leaving the South Asian side with very little to smile about.
In contrast, several Southeast Asian nations enjoyed an upward trend. Thailand climbed one spot to 93rd, staying ahead of Vietnam. Indonesia, boosted by their massive win over Bangladesh and their eventual run to the ASEAN Cup title, improved their ranking to 117th. Meanwhile, Malaysia bypassed the Philippines to become the fourth highest-ranked team in the region.
Bangladesh must now look to the upcoming FIFA international window to turn their fortunes around. To climb the rankings and leave this recent failure behind, the team will need to rely on the most basic footballing formula: securing regular wins and delivering competitive performances on the pitch.
At the summit of the global rankings, world champions Spain firmly held on to the number one spot. Argentina remain in second, followed by France in third and England in fourth. The only major shift in the top tier saw Portugal climb two places into fifth, a move that pushed five-time world champions Brazil down a spot to sixth.
