New Delhi: Indian football’s dismal run on the international stage continued as the men’s senior national team slumped to 136th in the latest FIFA World Rankings — their lowest position since November 2016. 

The new ranking, released on Friday, compounds the Blue Tigers’ woes as they find themselves out of contention for both the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

Once seen as a team on the rise after their 2023 triumphs in the Intercontinental Cup, SAFF Championship, and Tri-Nation Series, India’s fortunes have sharply declined over the past year.

That period of promise — which saw them climb into the top 100 of the rankings — was followed by a disastrous AFC Asian Cup campaign in Qatar earlier this year, where they exited in the group stage without scoring a single goal in three defeats.

Since then, the national setup has struggled for stability, cycling through three head coaches in less than two years. Igor Štimac was first shown the door, succeeded by Manolo Márquez, who himself made way for Khalid Jamil earlier this year.

Despite flashes of progress under Jamil — particularly during the CAFA Nations Cup, a friendly tournament where India showed tactical improvement — the results in competitive fixtures have remained disappointing.

The team’s last victory in a competitive match came nearly a year ago, a 1-0 win over Kuwait in November 2023.

Globally, Spain retained top spot in the FIFA men’s rankings, ahead of World Cup holders Argentina and third-placed France. England, Portugal, the Netherlands, Brazil, and Belgium completed the top eight. Germany climbed two places to 10th after back-to-back qualifying wins over Luxembourg and Northern Ireland, while 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia slipped to 11th after a draw against the Czech Republic.

The updated rankings will determine seedings for the expanded 48-team 2026 World Cup draw, to be held on December 5. The three co-hosts — the United States, Canada, and Mexico — will be joined by the nine highest-ranked direct qualifiers in the top-seed pot, ensuring Germany’s likely inclusion.

(IANS)