FIFA rankings: Indian women's national team drop to 60 in June's rankings

What’s the story?

The Indian women’s national football team have dropped four places in the rankings to the 60^th position according to the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking for women.

The context

The governing body for world football published its rankings today as per which India stand at 60. Earlier, India were ranked 56 according to the rankings published in March this year.

The heart of the matter

This season witnessed a devastating loss for India in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers which is one reason for such a fall. The Indian women’s football team also suffered an 8-0 defeat at the hands of North Korea in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers held in Pyongyang, a precursor to the FIFA World Cup in 2019.

To add to that, India also lost to South Korea and Uzbekistan at the same event. Though the team won against Hong Kong, their losses ensured they crashed out of the tournament, thereby impacting their ranking.

60 is the second worst ranking the Indian women’s team have ever held. The team have not lost any ranking points, with the score consistently being 1404, however, they fell behind other teams that outperformed them this quarter. While Iran made it to the 55^th place, Peru also leapfrogged their way to 57^th in the rankings.

Chile’s performances too are worth mentioning with them jumping an inconceivable 76 places to make it to their current rank of 40.

What’s next?

India’s best standing in the FIFA rankings was in 2013 – 49 – and the journey since then has been a roller coaster ride. They currently share their spot with Northern Ireland, who have also dropped five places from 55th.

Their place in the upcoming rankings largely depends on their performances but also on how well the other teams function in the period.

Author’s take

The drop in the FIFA rankings and the disappointing losses despite good performances raise important questions. The women’s football team are capable of some stunning performances yet have failed to make their mark this season. With the AIFF having launched the first ever Women’s Professional League this year, things stand to improve in the future for the Indian eves.