Malaysia has a chance to close in on Vietnam in the FIFA rankings

Despite FIFA’s punishment related to the naturalized player scandal, Malaysia’s team is still playing impressively and could narrow the gap with Vietnam in the FIFA standings by beating Nepal.

The Malaysian national team is demonstrating remarkable resilience during this turbulent period. Although the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) recently had its appeal rejected by FIFA over irregularities in the naturalization paperwork of seven foreign players, Malaysia maintains impressive form under coach Peter Cklamovski, creating a significant opportunity to improve their FIFA ranking.

According to FIFA’s ruling, seven naturalized players — Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal, Hector Hevel, and Joao Figueiredo — are banned from playing for one year due to not meeting the international eligibility criteria. This penalty has severely damaged FAM’s reputation and poses a serious threat to the national team’s strength. However, instead of declining, Malaysia is showing admirable determination and spirit in overcoming adversity.

In their last four matches, Peter Cklamovski’s squad has won every game, beating Singapore (2-1), Palestine (1-0), and securing two consecutive victories against Laos, thereby maintaining their world ranking at 118th and third in Southeast Asia, behind only Thailand and Vietnam.

The fifth match in the qualifiers, against Nepal — ranked 185th globally — will take place at 9:00 PM on November 18, 2025, at Bukit Jalil National Stadium. This is seen as a golden opportunity for Malaysia to continue climbing. A win would give the "Harimau Malaya" an additional 6.88 FIFA points, raising their total to 1,168.41 points, which would move them up two places to 116th worldwide, surpassing Gambia and Namibia.

Notably, achieving this position would bring Malaysia closer to Vietnam. The points gap between the two teams would narrow significantly, setting the stage for an exciting regional rivalry in Southeast Asia.

A victory over Nepal would not only be valuable for points but also serve as confirmation that Malaysian football is performing well despite off-field challenges. With unity, tactical discipline, and rising form, Cklamovski’s team can turn this crisis into motivation to catch up with and even challenge Vietnam’s status in the near future.

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