FIFA expressed disbelief as Vietnam achieved the highest ranking increase worldwide

The Vietnam national team continues to make waves on the global football map by becoming the team with the biggest rise in the FIFA rankings at the end of 2025.

According to the latest FIFA rankings released on the evening of December 22, Vietnam climbed 3 places to reach 107th in the world. This is the highest jump among all national teams worldwide in the December ranking, making the "Golden Star Warriors" the team with the strongest advancement globally during this period.

Immediately after the FIFA rankings were updated, the official FIFA fanpageposted an enthusiastic congratulatory message for the Vietnam team. The post read: “The average reaction upon hearing that Vietnam is the team with the biggest rise in the year-end 2025 FIFA rankings, moving up 3 spots to 107th”, accompanied by the Vietnamese flag emoji and an upward arrow. FIFA even urged fans to “Brothers, get your keyboards ready to celebrate Christmas now,” showing excitement about Vietnam football’s impressive progress.

FIFA directly mentioning and interacting with Vietnam’s achievement is common and confirms the international attention the team has gained. This is not just about ranking improvement but also signals that Vietnamese football is gradually regaining its status and building a positive image after a turbulent period.

According to FIFA, Vietnam’s progress results from a series of positive outcomes recently, especially the crucial win in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. This match earned Vietnam an additional 5.89 FIFA points, playing a decisive role in improving their ranking.

In Southeast Asia, Vietnam continues to show a clear breakthrough. Although Thailand remains the top-ranked team in the region, the Golden Kingdom slipped one place to 96th globally. In contrast to Vietnam’s rise, Malaysia became the most disappointing team in the December 2025 FIFA rankings. The "Malayan Tigers" fell 5 places to 121st and lost the most points worldwide, dropping by 22.52 points. This was mainly due to serious issues related to naturalized player documentation, which severely affected their ranking.