After historic win in Kochi, India climb to 136 in FIFA rankings; France become World No 1

The Indian men's football team have climbed five places to 136 in the latest FIFA rankings released on April 1.

The March 31 win over Hong Kong in an AFC Asian Cup qualifier at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi was vital in the Blue Tigers slipping under the 140-mark.

India were ranked 136 in October 2025, before hitting a low of 142 by November and only improving a position by January this year. In their last five competitive fixtures, India lost two and drew two.

Among India's neighbours, Pakistan are the lowest-ranked team in Asia (202), while Bangladesh dropped a position to 181, while Sri Lanka climbed three places to 191.

Japan are the top-ranked nation in Asia, with a world ranking of 18, followed by Iran (21) and Korea (25). Iraq, which defeated Bolivia in a play-off tournament to return to the FIFA World Cup after 1986, have moved up a spot to 57.

France displaced Spain and Argentina to jump into the World No 1 ranking. World Champions Argentina slipped to third, behind European champions Spain. England are ranked fourth, while Brazil lost the fifth spot to Portugal.