The Vietnamese men’s national football team wrap up the year 2023 with the first place in Southeast Asia. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnamese men’s national football team wrapped up theyear 2023 with the first place in Southeast Asia, 15th in Asiaand 94th in the world in FIFA's latest rankings.
In Southeast Asia, Vietnam were followed by Thailand (113th in the world), Malaysia (130th), the Philippines (140th)and Indonesia (146th).
In Asia, Japantopped the rankings (17th place in the world), followed by Iran (21st),the Republic of Korea (23rd), Australia (25th), and Saudi Arabia (56th).
Argentina, theWorld Cup champions, topped the world rankings, followed by France,England, Belgium, Brazil, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Croatia.
According toFIFA, there are only 11 international matches in December, of which ninebelonged to Oceania teams at the Pacific Games. The remainders are two friendly matchesbetween Colombia and Venezuela/Mexico. This is the reason why there will beno significant change in the rankings for the last month of this year.
The most notable football event in January next year is the 2023 AsianCup finals with the participation of 24 teams from Asia. Vietnam are drawn intoGroup D together with Japan, Iraq and Indonesia. The results of the matches in thisregional tournament are forecast to create big changes in the world rankings,especially for Asian teams.
Toprepare for the 2023 Asian Cup, the Vietnamese team is expected to gather for training onDecember 31. Coach Philippe Troussier and his team will spend a few days practicingin the country before travelling to Qatar for training and playing a friendly match withKyrgyzstan before the tournament./.
