The Indian football team has re-entered the top-100 of the FIFA world rankings and is now placed at 99th at the latest chart released on Thursday. The team, which did not play any international match in this ranking period, jumped three places to enter the top-100 for the first time this year. It now has 339 points to its kitty to be at the joint 99th spot with Libya.
Last year, the Indian team broke into the top-100 three times, rising as high as 96th in July - the second best ever after the 94th place attained in February 1996. But it ended the year at the 105th spot.
Among Asian countries, the Indian team is now at the 13th spot, above the likes of Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Bahrain and North Korea.
Iran (overall 33rd) leads the rankings among Asian countries, followed by Australia (37th) and Japan (55th).
World champions Germany remain on the top of the overall chart, followed by Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Belgium, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, France and Chile.
The Indian team plays their AFC Asian Cup qualifier match against the Kyrgyz Republic in Bishkek on March 27. The country has already qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
(With PTI Inputs)
