The embarrassing 0-1 defeat to Bangladesh in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers saw the Indian men's football team drop six places down to 142nd in the latest FIFA rankings, reflecting the national side's free fall in the last two years.
The Khalid Jamil-coached team lost to Bangladesh for the first time since 2003 in Dhaka on Tuesday, leaving the country's football fans deeply anguished at the continuous downward slide in their fortunes. The team has already been knocked out of Asian Cup contention after losing to Singapore in Goa last month.
This was the worst ranking of the team since October 2016 when it was placed 148th. The team has lost 40 places since December 2023 when it was ranked at 102nd. Since then, the team's ranking has been going south.
The Indian team is now ranked 27th among the 46 Asian countries included in the FIFA rankings with Japan on top at 18th, followed by Iran (20th), South Korea (22nd), Australia (26th) and Uzbekistan (50th). India's best ever ranking was 94 in February 1996.
Ryan Williams officially eligible for selection
Ryan Williams is officially eligible for selection to the Indian team as he has got FIFA approval for the change of member association after relinquishing his Australian citizenship, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said on Thursday.
The 32-year-old Perth-born forward, who plays for Indian Super League side Bengaluru FC, had recently given up his Australian passport to become an Indian citizen.
"FIFA's Players' Status Chamber issued its final decision on November 19, 2025, approving the change of association request for Ryan Williams, thereby making him formally eligible to represent the Indian national team," the AIFF said in a statement. "With the ruling now in effect, Ryan Williams is officially eligible for selection to the Indian national team."
The AIFF said it "adhered fully to FIFA's regulatory requirements throughout the process". "Following the submission, FIFA's Players’ Status Chamber reviewed the request in alignment with the standards. The Chamber delivered its decision on November 19, confirming that all eligibility criteria had been satisfied and approving the player's change of association to India," it said.
Williams' mother was born in Mumbai while his father was born in Kent, England. He has played for Australia U-20 and U-23 teams, and also represented the senior team as a second-half substitute during a friendly in 2019 against South Korea.
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