⚽ Indian Football in Free Fall: Team Drops to 133rd in FIFA Rankings
🗓️ Date: July 10, 2025
✍️ By: Suryavanshi IAS
📂 Section: Sports | Indian Affairs – UPSC Current Affairs
🔸 What Happened?
The Indian men’s football team has hit its lowest FIFA ranking in nine years, sliding to 133rd position in the chart released on July 10, 2025. This fall follows back-to-back defeats in June — a 0-2 loss to Thailand and a shocking 0-1 defeat to lower-ranked Hong Kong.
This slump prompted head coach Manolo Marquez to part ways with the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
🔸 India’s Ranking Timeline
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📉 Current Rank: 133 (July 2025)
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📉 Lowest since: December 2016 (Rank 135)
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🏆 Best Ever: 94 (February 1996)
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🌏 Asian Ranking: 24th out of 46; Asia led by Japan (Rank 17)
🔸 Performance Snapshot
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2025 so far:
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✅ 1 win (vs Maldives)
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❌ 2 losses (Thailand, Hong Kong)
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🤝 1 draw
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Last 8 matches: Only 1 win
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Upcoming match: vs Singapore (October 2025) in Asian Cup Qualifiers – Round 3
🔸 Why It Matters for UPSC?
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📌 GS Paper II – Governance/Sports Administration: AIFF’s mismanagement & coaching instability raise questions on long-term planning in Indian football.
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📌 GS Paper I – Society & National Identity: National teams impact collective morale and youth engagement in sports.
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📌 Prelims – Current Affairs: India's current FIFA rank, historical best and worst, upcoming qualifiers.
🔸 Global Rankings 2025 – Top 10
| Rank | Country |
|---|---|
| 1 | Argentina |
| 2 | Spain |
| 3 | France |
| 4 | England |
| 5 | Brazil |
| 6 | Portugal |
| 7 | Netherlands |
| 8 | Belgium |
| 9 | Germany |
| 10 | Croatia |
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Keep track of India’s performance in Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers.
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Use this decline as a case study for Essay Topics like “Sports in India: Beyond Cricket” or “Building Grassroots Talent for Global Competitiveness.”
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For interviews, expect situational questions on sports infrastructure, federation roles, and talent retention.
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