Why India’s Performance in FIFA ranking is poor over a decade?

 

When we analyze the Indian Football FIFA ranking, we do talk about rise and fall simultaneously. While the official FIFA Rankings may not be a precise indicator of a national team's strength, the official FIFA Rankings do provide insight into how a nation organizes and steers its international program. Progress is measured by results.

India's poor FIFA ranking is due to various reasons:

Severe lack of quality infrastructure: India lacks sufficient quality football grounds and training facilities, with most national team players receiving formal coaching at an age too late to correct technical flaws.

Weak Grassroot Programs: The absence of a robust, nationwide grassroots system, including numerous academies and youth leagues starting at a young age (like 5 years old), hinders the development of young talent.

Poor Coaching Standards: There is a severe lack of certified coaches in the nation, particularly at the grassroots level, which is essential for the development of foundational abilities.

Lack of Technical and Mental Skills: Indian athletes frequently struggle with mental toughness and composure in high-stakes circumstances, as well as fundamental technical skills, which suggests that they need to improve their sports psychology and conditioning.

Professional Apathy: There's an observed apathy among some players, with a perceived greater interest in club contracts than in national glory, and a lack of public accountability after losses.

Weak League Structure: Players' game time and growth are restricted by the present league format, which does not offer enough competitive matches throughout the year.

Inconsistent Team Core: The national team has struggled to establish consistency due to a lack of continuity in its core, which is caused by a continuous cycle of player retirements and the emergence of new, younger players.

Dominance of Other Sports: Football loses talent, attention, and resources due to cricket's enormous popularity in India.

Lack of Investment: Potential football players are discouraged from playing the game by underfunded coaching programs and subpar facilities, which frequently drive them to choose other sports or more secure employment choices.

Limited Sports Science Integration: The contemporary needs of tactical intelligence and mental toughness are not sufficiently met due to the shortage of full-time sports psychologists and performance coaches.

India currently ranks 141st on the FIFA standings. The men's Indian football team's best ranking has been 94, achieved in February 1996. 

As 2014 came to an end, India's ranking has fallen to 171st due to the lack of stability. Even though they dropped to 173, the lowest ranking in the history of the Indian football team.

From the beginning in 1992, the Indian football team's ascent through the football rankings has been nothing short of a wild rollercoaster. India was ranked 143rd in the world when the first official FIFA Rankings were released in December 1992. But there was much to be excited about. After winning a silver medal in the South Asian Games, India had an incredible 1993 calendar year, quickly moving up the leaderboard and breaking into the top 100 before the end of the year. In the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches, India also defeated Hong Kong and drew with Lebanon in that year. They barely accelerated their entry into the top 100 with two draws against Cameroon and a stalemate against Finland in an international friendly and beginning in 1995, the number of international matches gradually increased, and there was also a gradual improvement in the world rankings.

The introduction of Bhaichung Bhutia was another aspect contributing to the upward trend. Together with Vijayan, the youthful player made his international debut in March 1995 and helped establish one of India's most impressive forward lines since the 1950s and 1960s. With Bhutia and Vijayan spearheading the India charge, the team shot up to the 94th place in the standings in February 1996, which, to date, remains the best Indian football team ranking on the FIFA leaderboard. India also won successive SAFF Championships (1997 and 1999) within the period.

Vijayan and Bhutia had a particularly fruitful year in 1999. With India playing an entertaining brand of football, Bhutia scored four goals in four games, while the former scored seven goals in his twelve FIFA-sanctioned international matches that year. Vijayan and Ancheri’s retirement in 2003, left Bhutia to shoulder the team’s scoring responsibilities alongside a very young Sunil Chhetri. Similarly, when Chhetri was beginning to show signs of a quality international player, Bhutia retired after a disappointing AFC Asian Cup 2011 campaign.

All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Kalyan Chaubey on Sunday (August 10, 2025) sought to attribute the national men’s team’s slide in the FIFA chart to a “complex and fluctuating” nature of the ranking system but expressed hope for a turnaround with wins over teams placed higher in the list.

“FIFA ranking is based on historical performance of a national team in the international matches played in the preceding years. It is determined using the Elo Model. This method adds or subtracts points for matches to or from a team’s existing total point,” Mr. Chaubey said.

As you comprehend the formula used to determine this ranking, you will see that it varies annually. The amount of games the team plays and the opponent's ranking determine this. When I took over, we went from 106 to 99 in 2023, and as of 2025, we have dropped from 99th to 141st. The Indian team entered the top 100 at number 99 in the July 2023 rankings after winning three events in 2023, but the decline started after that. After losing to Australia, Uzbekistan, and Syria in the AFC Asian Cup in January 2024, the team fell from 102nd in December 2023 to 117th.

We Indian hope that in coming future the performance of Indian football team will improve in the FIFA ranking, as we can see some changes and development through years like, “After 2014 (start of ISL) till now, we have seen more development and popularity in club football through ISL by the involvement of Reliance, TATA, JSW, Goenka, Emami, Star India etc. They played a pivotal role in shaping a new era. In April 2015, significant changes were already being made behind the scenes that would finally pay off, after being reinstated as head coach of the Indian football team in January 2015, Stephen Constantine's practical approach quickly began to pay off.

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