COLOMBO, November 21 Friday (ePRESS) – Sri Lanka suffered a crushing 0-4 loss to Thailand in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifier on Wednesday in Colombo, causing a sharp drop in the latest FIFA rankings.
The island nation, which had been slowly climbing from 202 to 193 over recent years, fell one spot to 194 after the humbling defeat against a strong Thai side.
The setback also hit Sri Lanka’s campaign in Group D of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers. After five matches, the Lankans sit in a disappointing third place, having won only two and lost three. Turkmenistan leads the group with 12 points from four wins and one loss, closely followed by Thailand with 12 points, leaving Sri Lanka behind on six points. Chinese Taipei occupy the bottom spot in the group, having struggled throughout the campaign.
The Lankans will now need a strong finish in their remaining matches to regain lost ground both in the qualifiers and world rankings.
