Nehru Cup triumph boosts India's ranking

Two wins in the group stage against Kyrgyzstan and Sri Lanka pulled India out of the dismal 156th spot. India’s win against Syria in Monday’s final was not counted since it ended in tie-breakers. Syria, however, stayed at the 95th spot while Lebanon, who had defeated India in the group stage, dropped two places to the 150th spot.

Second runners-up Kyrgyzstan, despite losing two matches in the tournament, stunned everybody by jumping 17 places to the 143rd spot while Sri Lanka dropped three places to the 159th spot. Meanwhile, Brazil stayed top of the FIFA world rankings as the top three remained unchanged in August while Mexico continued their climb up the table as they enjoy a revival under coach Javier Aguirre.

Brazil, who extend their unbeaten run to 17 matches, are followed by Spain in second place and Netherlands in third. Australia, the best-placed team from the Asia, climbed two places to 14th, their highest-ever position. Ivory Coast, Africa's top team, dropped two places to 20th.