The progress of the Vietnamese team
Winning the AFF Cup 2024 not only creates a foundation of trust, but also helps the Vietnamese team significantly improve its score on the national team rankings of the World Football Federation (FIFA).
Specifically, before entering the AFF Cup 2024, Quang Hai and his teammates ranked 114th. However, 7 wins in 8 matches in the Southeast Asian playground helped coach Kim Sang-sik and his team accumulate an additional 10.22 points, thereby rising to 112th place with 1,175.01 points (according to estimates from the Football Ranking website).
Vietnam team may soon return to FIFA top 100
With 10.22 points, the Vietnamese team became the team with the most points increase in the FIFA rankings in January. Part of the reason is that the AFF Cup 2024 takes place during a time when most national teams in the world are not focused on competing. Therefore, important victories have helped Vietnam increase its ranking.
For example, the Vietnamese team was awarded 2.79 points for beating Thailand 2-1 in the first leg of the final. Then, in the second leg of the final, Vietnam came back to win 3-2, thus gaining 2.77 points. Although only moving up 2 places, the accumulated 10.22 points helped coach Kim Sang-sik and his team narrow the gap with the world's top 100.
Specifically, the Vietnamese team is 44.14 points behind the 100th-ranked team, Armenia (1,219.15 points). This is a gap that can be filled if Quang Hai and his teammates play well in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.
Accumulate points
The matches in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers are considered official tournaments within the framework of FIFA Days. Therefore, each win here will be very valuable for the Vietnamese team to accumulate points.
The obstacle for coach Kim Sang-sik and his team is that their opponents Malaysia (ranked 132), Nepal (ranked 175) and Laos (186) are all quite far behind Vietnam in the FIFA rankings. Therefore, each win will not help the team gain as many points as when they win against Thailand or Singapore. On the contrary, each defeat will lead to the risk of a very expensive point deduction.
Players need to accumulate wins from 'small' matches and tournaments
However, the Vietnamese team must accept the reality of "picking up little by little" to gradually return. If they win at least 4 to 5 matches in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, the door to returning to the FIFA top 100 will be wider open. In addition to the matches here, playing friendly matches to accumulate points is also a good choice for coach Kim Sang-sik and his team.
When coach Park Hang-seo took over, the Vietnamese team did not need immediate big victories, but instead rose from "small matches" to enter the FIFA top 100. Now is the time for the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and Mr. Kim Sang-sik to have a specific strategy for each stage to accumulate points.
A good position on the FIFA rankings is very important, because this is the basis for seeding for the 2027 Asian Cup and the 2030 World Cup qualifiers, which are the key tournaments that the Vietnamese team is aiming for in the next 2 years.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-tang-diem-nhanh-nhat-the-gioi-can-gi-de-vao-top-100-fifa-185250205133115497.htm
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