Forfeiting 3 matches, FIFA is about to make Malaysia 'lose' to Indonesia

An unbelievable scenario is unfolding for Malaysia, as FIFA sanctions might cause them to "lose" to Indonesia in an unexpected way.

The Malaysian national team is going through one of its darkest periods in years, as FIFA penalties not only strip away match results but also directly impact their position on the world ranking. Three international friendlies forfeited 0-3 have caused Malaysia to lose all points, accompanied by a sharp drop in their ranking, resulting in unpredictable chain consequences.

According to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee's decision, Malaysia was deducted a total of 22.52 points after the matches against Cape Verde, Singapore, and Palestine were annulled. Consequently, the team dropped 5 places to 121st in the world rankings. Notably, the gap between Malaysia and Indonesia is now just 1 point and 1 FIFA rank, according to the latest updated rankings.

While Malaysia is declining due to the sanctions, Indonesia remains steady on the rankings as they did not play during the FIFA Days in November 2025. The controversial decision by the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) to not field the national team but instead have the U22 squad play friendlies faced much criticism. However, this inadvertently helped Indonesia "stay out of danger" at this sensitive time.

PSSI General Secretary Yunus Nusi once explained: “PSSI confirms that Indonesia U22 will play two friendly matches against Mali U22. Hopefully, this will be an important step in preparing the team before SEA Games 33.” Nevertheless, in terms of FIFA rankings, Indonesia benefits by not losing any points during this volatile period.

The threat to Malaysia is not over. FAM faces the possibility of losing a case at CAS, which could lead to additional sanctions from AFC. In the worst-case scenario, Malaysia could be handed defeats in both matches against Nepal and Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, meaning further significant FIFA point deductions.

If that happens, Malaysia (already ranked below Vietnam) will likely fall behind Indonesia as well, even if the Indonesian team does not play any more matches and maintains their current position. At that point, the FIFA ranking battle between these two Southeast Asian football nations will take an unexpected turn, caused not by on-field results but by harsh rulings from FIFA and AFC.