'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Indian national football team has moved up one spot to 145 in the FIFA rankings after its latest release on Thursday. India moved up one place in the Asian rankings, as well, to 24th.
India had jumped 24 spots in March following wins over Chinese Taipei (2-1) and Guam (4-0) in the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers, but failed to qualify for the tournament after losing the last qualifying match 1-0 against hosts Myanmar.
Trending
They haven’t been in action since then and their ranking had dropped in April and May but for the third straight month their position has improved.
India will play their first international match since March on Wednesday when they take on Tajikistan, who are ranked 114th, in an away international friendly. The game will be part of India’s preparations for the 2013 SAFF Championship, which takes place in Nepal from September 1-11.
After the Tajikistan friendly, Wim Koevermans’s side will head for a preparatory camp in Bangalore from August 16 with their SAFF Cup opener being scheduled on September 1st against arch-rivals Pakistan.
If India manages to reach the SAFF Cup final, they will have played six matches until the next release of the FIFA Rankings which is on September 12. Thus they have a great chance to move further up in both the world and continental rankings next month.
