FIFA Rankings: India drop two places to be ranked 106th

• India were previously ranked 104th
• Brazil have been toppers in the men's rankings since March 2022
• The next FIFA Rankings will be published after the World Cup

WHAT HAPPENED? The Indian national team are ranked 106th in the October 2022 edition of the FIFA Rankings released on Thursday.

The Blue Tigers, who have qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, last played two international friendlies in September on FIFA dates. They drew 1-1 against Singapore (160th, -1) and lost 3-0 to Vietnam (97th, -1). The last time the Blue Tigers were ranked 106th was in March 2022.

Globally, ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Brazil have pulled further away atop as the only change in the top 10 is Italy (6th, +1) leapfrogging Spain (7th, -1) while Belgium (2nd, -) and Argentina (3rd, -) the top three.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: For India, it's the first time that they were in action since the FIFA ban on the All India Football Federation (AIFF) was lifted. India head coach Igor Stimac had recently been handed an extension till the Asian Cup finals in 2023.