The Indian football team is ranked 138th in the FIFA rankings as of the 20 July 2026 release, a long way below the top 100 they briefly returned to in 2023.
Led by captain Sunil Chhetri, India climbed from 101 to 100 in June 2023, courtesy their impressive showing in the Intercontinental Cup 2023 and the SAFF Championship 2023.
Before that, the last time India was in the top 100 of the FIFA rankings was in December 2018. Almost five years later, the Blue Tigers were ranked 99th in the world again in July 2023 — their last appearance in the top 100 to date.
The slide since has been steep. India dropped to 117th in February 2024 after a winless AFC Asian Cup, finished 2024 in 126th place and fell to 142nd in November 2025, their lowest ranking since 2016. They have recovered slightly in 2026, to 136th in April and 138th in July.
The men’s FIFA World rankings were introduced for the first time in December 1992. Back then, the Indian football team was ranked 143rd in the FIFA rankings when it was launched.
Since then, India has witnessed several ups and downs in the men’s FIFA World Rankings. Football fanatics in the country often want to know the Indian football team’s highest FIFA ranking and here we have a look their highest-ever ranking while charting their fluctuation in ranking over the years.
What is the Indian football team’s highest FIFA ranking?
The Indian football team’s highest FIFA ranking is 94, which was achieved in February 1996.
Under the tutelage of former head coach Stephen Constantine, India were also ranked 96th in the FIFA rankings in 2017 and 2018.
The Indian football team made massive progress under Stephen Constantine after he took over the reins for the second time in 2015.
While India slipped to 173rd place in the FIFA rankings in 2015, the Blue Tigers later jumped to 96th in the next two years.
Between 2018 and 2023, India stayed between 96th and 109th in the FIFA rankings. Since 2024 they have not been higher than 117th. Let’s take a look at the Indian football team’s FIFA rankings by each year since 1992.
Indian football team’s FIFA ranking by each year since 1992
|
Year |
Highest Rank |
Lowest Rank |
|
1992 |
143 |
143 |
|
1993 |
99 |
129 |
|
1994 |
101 |
113 |
|
1995 |
111 |
121 |
|
1996 |
94 |
124 |
|
1997 |
109 |
121 |
|
1998 |
110 |
127 |
|
1999 |
106 |
116 |
|
2000 |
106 |
122 |
|
2001 |
113 |
124 |
|
2002 |
120 |
130 |
|
2003 |
122 |
133 |
|
2004 |
132 |
143 |
|
2005 |
127 |
135 |
|
2006 |
117 |
157 |
|
2007 |
143 |
165 |
|
2008 |
143 |
154 |
|
2009 |
134 |
156 |
|
2010 |
130 |
160 |
|
2011 |
144 |
163 |
|
2012 |
154 |
169 |
|
2013 |
143 |
167 |
|
2014 |
145 |
171 |
|
2015 |
141 |
173 |
|
2016 |
135 |
163 |
|
2017 |
96 |
132 |
|
2018 |
96 |
102 |
|
2019 |
101 |
108 |
|
2020 |
104 |
109 |
|
2021 |
104 |
107 |
|
2022 |
104 |
106 |
|
2023 |
99 |
102 |
|
2024 |
117 |
127 |
|
2025 |
127 |
142 |
|
2026* |
136 |
141 |
* 2026 covers the releases up to 20 July 2026.
Photo credit: Alamy