Indian Football Team FIFA Ranking Graph in 2025

The Blue Tigers are currently ranked 142nd in the world.

The Indian football team endured a turbulent year in 2025, reflected starkly in the FIFA World Rankings that saw the Blue Tigers dip to their lowest levels in nearly a decade before a late-year rebound. As the global football calendar drew toward its close, India’s position fluctuated widely, highlighting both on-field struggles and signs of struggle in a challenging international landscape.

At the start of 2025, India sat outside the top 120 in the FIFA rankings following a difficult 2024 that saw wins in short supply and disappointing results in major qualifying campaigns. Throughout the year, a series of uneven performances, including losses in international friendlies and AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, contributed to a slide down the rankings.

Has the Indian Football Team taken a backward step?

By July 2025, the Indian football team experienced one of its lowest points in recent history, dropping to 133rd in the FIFA World Ranking, the worst placing in nine years. The downward slide marked a six-place fall from earlier in the year and underscored the severity of the team’s struggles through the June international window.

India’s losses, including defeats to Thailand and Hong Kong, significantly impacted their ranking points, eroding confidence and triggering questions about tactical direction and squad consistency. The slump in rankings occurred against the backdrop of coaching instability as well, with then-head coach Manolo Márquez departing and Khalid Jamil joining mid-season following a string of poor results.

Khalid Jamil’s appointment bore no fruit

The turbulence in leadership coincided with critical AFC qualification matches which the team lost and compounded more pressure on a national side already grappling with its identity on the international stage. Despite these setbacks, India clawed back some ground towards the end of the year following the appointment of Khalid Jamil as head coach, but to no avail.

The December 2025 FIFA rankings showed a modest improvement as India finished the calendar year at 142nd position, up from its mid-season lows, illustrating the volatile nature of the team’s form and the impact of sporadic positive results through drawn games. The 2025 ranking graph also mirrors broader trends from the previous year, where India’s position oscillated, largely driven by inconsistent competitive outcomes and a lack of sustained winning momentum.

India has lost ground in the AFC

The national squad’s inability to secure crucial victories in qualifiers and friendlies underscored tactical and structural shortfalls that the AIFF and coaching staff will need to address going forward. India’s standing among the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) nations further highlights the challenge ahead, both on the national level and also in domestic club competitions.

Competing against rising regional peers such as Vietnam, Uzbekistan and Jordan, India’s mid-to-lower AFC ranking underscores the need for strategic overhaul and consistent performance in international fixtures. Looking towards 2026 and beyond, the team’s FIFA ranking trajectory will be influenced heavily by upcoming games, coaching continuity, and the integration of emerging talents.

For now, the 2025 graph tells a story of struggle amid adversity — a national football side fighting to reassert itself on the global stage after a year of testing results and frustating fortunes.

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