New Delhi: India have climbed the FIFA rankings ladder by three spots as they now find themselves in the 166th slot while they are placed 31st in the continent.
The Men in Blue have seen their stock rise despite playing their last game back in October when they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Singapore (154) in a friendly.`
India are ranked above Bangladesh (168), Pakistan (189), Sri Lanka (190) and Nepal (171) among the teams from the sub-continent.
The national team will be in action once again when they tackle the qualifying games for the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup. They will face Myanmar, Chinese Taipei and Guam in Group A on the 2nd, 4th and 6th of March 2013 respectively. There has been talks of organizing another friendly before then but no decision has been reached yet.
Wim Koevermans` side have closed the gap between themselves and group rivals Myanmar (162) who have dropped six places. Chinese Taipei and Guam are now ranked 169th and 181st respectively.
Japan are the highest Asian ranked nation at 22nd spot followed South Korea at 35 and Australia at 36.
Goal.com
First Published: Thursday, December 20, 2012, 08:30