Thailand team receives shock, worried that Vietnam team will usurp FIFA rankings

"Patrik Gustavsson will definitely not be able to participate in the next two FIFA Days (June and October) because he has just had surgery for a torn ligament. The striker will only be able to return to play from next season at the earliest. The Thai team has therefore received extremely bad news, coach Masatada Ishii will have a headache finding a replacement," Thai newspaper Thairath said on April 1.

Patrik Gustavsson and the Thai team compete in the AFF Cup 2024

Photo: Phuc Thang

Patrik Gustavsson has scored 8 goals in just 11 appearances for the Thai national team, officially inheriting the position left by veteran striker Teerasil Dangda.

The 23-year-old striker, 1.84 m tall, of Swedish origin, also scored the only goal to help the "War Elephants" narrowly beat Sri Lanka 1-0 on March 25, opening the third qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.

However, misfortune came to Patrik Gustavsson just a few days later, after he had just signed a contract extension with BG Pathum United for another 4 years, he suffered a serious injury in the match against Uthai Thani FC, which ended in a 1-1 draw in round 27 of the Thai League 1 on March 29. Patrik Gustavsson landed incorrectly while retreating to support the defense, causing a ligament injury, according to Thairath .

The long-term absence of Patrik Gustavsson not only greatly affects BG Pathum United Club, but also forces the Thai team to look for an excellent striker to replace him in the upcoming important matches in Group D, Round 3 of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Specifically, the Thai team will have at least 3 matches in the 2 FIFA Days in June and October, respectively against Turkmenistan (June 10 away) and 2 matches against Taiwan (October 9 and 14). In November, they will meet Sri Lanka again away. In this schedule, the Thai team is also expected to have at least 1 to 2 international friendly matches.

In Group D of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying round 3, the Thai team is ranked 2nd after Turkmenistan, although they have 3 points and a goal difference of +1, but are ranked behind because they lost the sub-index of scoring fewer goals (1 compared to 2).

Thailand team worries about losing the number 1 position in Southeast Asia to Vietnam team on FIFA rankings

After regaining the No. 1 position in Southeast Asia more than a year ago and rising to 96th place in the world, 23 places ahead of the Vietnamese team (who at one point dropped to 119th). However, when the latest FIFA rankings for 2025 are announced (April 3), the Thai team with its new position (99) will only be 10 places higher than its regional rival.

Thanks to the successful AFF Cup 2024 campaign, the Vietnamese team has risen again in the FIFA rankings.

Photo: Ngoc Linh

The Vietnamese team has made a spectacular breakthrough in the FIFA rankings, thanks to its impressive performance when winning the AFF Cup 2024 and 2 recent wins in the FIFA Days calendar in March, when it defeated Cambodia 2-1 (international friendly) and Laos 5-0 in the 3rd qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup on March 25. Thereby, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team have accumulated a total of 19.03 points since the beginning of the year, to have 1,183.82 points and rise to 109th place in the world.

Meanwhile, the Thai team beat Afghanistan 2-0 (international friendly) and narrowly beat Sri Lanka 1-0 in Group D of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, earning a total of 7.74 points. However, this number of points was deducted by 6.04 points from their performance in the 2024 AFF Cup (losing to Vietnam in the final), so they actually received only 1.70 points, bringing their total score to 1,232.87 points. The "War Elephants" will therefore also drop in the April FIFA rankings from 96th to 99th in the world.

This losing streak has been going on since the beginning of the year, making the Thai press very worried, because in the near future, coach Masatada Ishii's team will also be without their number one striker Patrik Gustavsson for a long term. From there, it will be very easy to receive more declining results and fall out of the top 100.

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese team is making a strong comeback into the world's top 100. In the upcoming schedule, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will have a key match against Malaysia in the second round of Group F of the 3rd qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup on June 10. And 2 matches against Nepal on October 9 and October 14. In November, the "Golden Star Warriors" will meet Laos again on the away field.

If the current unbeaten streak continues, by the end of 2025, the Vietnamese team will be fully capable of reclaiming the No. 1 position in Southeast Asia from Thailand.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-thai-lan-nhan-cu-soc-lo-doi-viet-nam-soan-ngoi-bang-xep-hang-fifa-185250401115354286.htm