COLOMBO, May 5 (ePRESS) – Sri Lanka climbed to 191st place in the FIFA World Rankings after 11 years, following a strong run of performances in the Asian Cup qualifiers.
The national team has shown clear improvement in recent matches, rising from 205th place in 2024 to regain 191st, a position they last held in 2015.
FIFA rankings include 211 countries, with San Marino placed at the bottom. Sri Lanka now sits just below Samoa (190th) and above American Samoa (192nd), while South Asian rivals Pakistan are ranked 202nd.
Sri Lanka’s rise was boosted by a convincing 3-1 win over higher-ranked Chinese Taipei in the qualifiers, earning 14.42 ranking points. Chinese Taipei are currently placed 174th in the world.
The team’s recent form has been encouraging. Sri Lanka recorded wins over Laos (2-1), Brunei (1-0), Chinese Taipei (3-1 twice) and Turkmenistan (1-0). They also held Maldives to a 1-1 draw. However, defeats came against Thailand on two occasions, and also against Maldives and Turkmenistan.
Sri Lanka will next face higher-ranked Brunei, who are placed 186th, in an international friendly in Thailand on the 8th of next month. A victory could help Sri Lanka climb further up the rankings.
According to FIFA rules, lower-ranked teams gain more points when they defeat higher-ranked opponents, giving Sri Lanka a strong chance to continue their upward progress.
Historically, Sri Lanka reached its highest ranking of 122nd in 1998, but dropped to 205th in 2019 and again in 2022. Under the leadership of Sri Lanka Football Federation President Jaswar Umar, the team is now showing signs of steady recovery and growth.
