Vietnam finish second at the King’s Cup in Thailand in early June, 2019.

Vietnam’s rise in the global ladder came on the back of the country’s good showing at the King’s Cup 2019 in Thailand early this month with a win over Thailand and a draw with Curacao in 90 minutes of play.

The improved ranking has secured Vietnam a slot in the second seeding pot of World Cup 2022 qualifiers for the Asia region, where they will only have to clash with one of the top eight teams in Asia. Vietnam’s highest rank was 84th in September, 1998.

Belgium remain on top of the rankings, with France and Brazil holding on to the second and third spot, respectively.