Vietnam team ranked after Thailand and the order of Southeast Asian football

The Vietnam team is ranked 105th in the world, 3 places behind Thailand in the FIFA rankings in February 2024.

Vietnam team is still rated lower than Thailand. Photo: Minh Dan

The Vietnamese team has lost 41 points compared to last month and is ranked 105th in the world. The Thai team has increased 12 places to 101st in the world and has risen to the top of Southeast Asia. This is the first time in 6 years that the Vietnamese team has lost its unique position in Southeast Asia. This is the result of a series of achievements of the teams in the recent past, especially at the 2023 Asian Cup. While the Vietnamese team lost 3 matches, Thailand entered the round of 16 with 3 unbeaten matches in the group stage. Thai football still shows that they deserve to be No. 1 in Southeast Asia for the past 2 decades. Because even at the time when the Vietnamese team entered the top 100 and ranked No. 1 in Southeast Asia, we still could not surpass Thailand's level. Under coach Park Hang-seo, Vietnamese football could only beat Thailand at the U23 level. At the national team level, we are inferior to Thailand. The only victory of the Vietnamese team against Thailand was at the King's Cup 2019. In the 2 matches in the 2nd qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in Asia, the Thai team played better than the Vietnamese team. We had 2 draws at that time, which was considered a success. At the AFF Cup, the Vietnamese team lost to Thailand in the semi-finals in 2020 and the final in 2022. That was also the period when the coach was leading the Vietnamese team with a mature force. Although coach Park Hang-seo always encouraged the players to "not be afraid of Thailand". However, the level of the Thai team was still higher than Vietnam in direct confrontations. That is why the ranking on the FIFA rankings at that time did not mean much when the two national teams faced each other. And it is not surprising that the Thai team, after a period of being surpassed, has regained its position both in the actual confrontation and on the FIFA rankings. Realistically speaking, this is the time for order to be established. Look straight at this truth to know where Vietnamese football is. And the 105th world ranking at this time is not too bad. The achievements of the Vietnamese team can be improved if we get good results in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. And it is also necessary to be rational to confirm that, it is not only under coach Troussier that we have been at a disadvantage compared to Thailand. But it is also necessary to look at it to see that the Vietnamese team needs to improve and change so as not to be left too far behind.

Laodong.vn

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