Thai media stirred as Vietnam's national team climbs the FIFA rankings

Vietnam's national team advanced 3 positions in the FIFA rankings, emerging as the top climber in Southeast Asia, sparking excitement among Thai media who closely watched this notable rise.

The Thai press has shown notable reactions to the strong upward movement of Vietnam's national team in the latest FIFA rankings released on the evening of December 22nd.

According to the December FIFA rankings, Vietnam's national team climbed 3 spots to 107th in the world, making it the biggest gainer in Southeast Asia. This achievement stems from a series of positive results recently, especially their victory in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, which earned coach Kim Sang-sik's team an additional 5.89 points. With their current position, Vietnam is only 7 places away from the top 100, demonstrating steady and sustainable progress in raising their status.

Meanwhile, Thai football is experiencing a decline. The "War Elephants" dropped one place to 96th in the world, while Malaysia disappointed even more by falling sharply to 121st after losing 22.52 points.

In response to Vietnam's rise, Thairath quickly commented. The leading Thai daily wrote: “It seems Thailand’s national team slipped one spot, from 95th to 96th in the world rankings, after Palestine overtook them to claim 95th. The three countries improving their global rankings are Vietnam, Singapore, and Brunei. Among them, Vietnam and Singapore made the biggest jumps, each climbing 3 places compared to before.”

Meanwhile, SiamSport also particularly emphasized Vietnam’s position in the region: “In the ASEAN rankings, Vietnam’s national team rose 3 places, from 110th to 107th, maintaining its position as the second strongest team in Southeast Asia.”

The reactions from Thai media show growing attention towards Vietnamese football, amid the narrowing FIFA ranking gap among the region's top teams and a clear shift in Southeast Asia’s football landscape.