Harimau Malaya climb three places to 133rd in FIFA rankings after unbeaten FIFA ASEAN Cup run
Malaysia rose from 136th to 133rd in the FIFA rankings after beating Singapore, Bangladesh and Vietnam and drawing with Indonesia at the FIFA ASEAN Cup.
Malaysia have moved up three places to 133rd in the latest FIFA men's world rankings, released on Wednesday, after an unbeaten run of results at the first FIFA ASEAN Cup.
Harimau Malaya were 136th in the previous list, published on 20 July. The climb follows a tournament in which Tan Cheng Hoe's interim side did not lose a match, although they missed the final on goals scored and had to settle for third place.
Results that drove the rise
Malaysia opened the tournament with a 0-0 draw against a 10-man Indonesia and also beat Bangladesh 3-0 in the group stage. Their final group game was a 6-0 win over Singapore in Bandung on 1 October, in which Bergson da Silva scored a hat-trick and Stuart Wilkin, Paulo Josue and Syahir Bashah also found the net.
The big win was not enough to reach the final. Malaysia and Indonesia both finished Group A on seven points with a goal difference of plus nine, but Indonesia's 9-2 win over Bangladesh on the same night gave them more goals scored, and that tiebreaker sent them through.
Malaysia then beat Vietnam 1-0 in the third-place play-off in Jakarta on Monday, with Fergus Tierney scoring the winner. Indonesia went on to beat Thailand on penalties in the final.
Where Malaysia stand in Southeast Asia
Thailand remain the highest-ranked ASEAN nation, up one place to 93rd. Vietnam, beaten by Malaysia in the bronze-medal match, slipped one place to 99th. Tournament winners Indonesia also moved up and sit ahead of Malaysia in the 110s.
Singapore, beaten heavily by Malaysia, dropped three places to 149th according to regional reports.
At the top of the list, there was no change. Spain remain world No. 1, followed by Argentina and France.
What this means for Harimau Malaya
The rise is modest, but it reverses the slide of the past year. The ranking matters for seeding in future AFC and FIFA draws, and Malaysia have no Asian Cup to play in next year after they were eliminated from qualifying when results against Nepal and Vietnam were overturned.
The bigger question for the national team is still off the pitch. Tan Cheng Hoe was brought back as interim head coach in June after Peter Cklamovski left by mutual consent, and FAM has yet to confirm who will lead the side in the longer term. Cheng Hoe has said he would like to stay on.
When is the next update?
FIFA's next men's ranking is due on 18 November, after the November international window. Malaysia's opponents for that window had not been announced at the time of writing.
Key takeaways
- Malaysia climbed from 136th to 133rd in the FIFA rankings released on 7 October.
- The rise followed wins over Bangladesh, Singapore and Vietnam and a draw with Indonesia at the FIFA ASEAN Cup.
- Thailand are the top ASEAN side at 93rd, with Vietnam 99th.
- Spain, Argentina and France remain the top three in the world.
- The next ranking update is on 18 November.
FAQ
What is Malaysia's FIFA ranking now? Malaysia are 133rd in the men's world ranking published on 7 October 2026, up three places.
Why did Malaysia miss the FIFA ASEAN Cup final? They finished level with Indonesia on points and goal difference, but Indonesia had scored more goals, so they topped Group A.
When will the next FIFA ranking be published? The next update is scheduled for 18 November 2026.
Sources: Bernama, Malay Mail, Free Malaysia Today, FIFA, Viet Reader